Claimed
by Reda
Summary: Zoro doesn't know how to handle this. First Ace shows up and starts flirting with him. Then Sanji starts acting all possessive. And now Luffy is fighting with his brother and the cook. Over Zoro. What a mess...  Warning: Yaoi LuZo/AceZo/SanZo
1. Chapter 1

**Author Notes:** This idea came about because Twinklenoob requested in a review for Sanji to start liking Zoro and it to be a fight between Luffy and Sanji over Zoro. As I was thinking of what to write about, my brain added Ace into the mix and everything became much more of a mess.

So over at 30_kisses I put in a claim for Luffy x Zoro but hrm, not officially accepted yet. Still, I want to use the themes and the only One Piece pairing that has been claimed at this point is ZoSan, so I think I'm safe ~ Anyway, my self-challenge is to use the themes as chapter titles and use them in order - and follow the challenge of 30_kisses and include a kiss with each theme.

So. There it is.

[Also, I don't know shit about ships so forgive any really bad descriptions and blame it on me not knowing the right word to use xD]

**Disclaimer: **I do not own One Piece or anything related to it.

**Pairings: **This is LuffyxZoro centered, but it includes SanjixZoro and AcexZoro.

**Theme 1: **"look over here"

**Warning: **Rated M for a reason. Involves yaoi relationships (though the lemon stuff isn't going to show til later chapters unless I lose control of my pervert self).

**Spoilers/ Timeline: **-Eh, well, kinda hard to place. Sometime after Alabasta. Before Skypiea stuff. Involves 7 crew members and Ace. So there. -

**Summary: **Ace comes to visit the crew when they're out at sea. Luffy enjoys himself until he notices that special attention is being directed at a certain swordsman. Zoro does his best to ignore the uncomfortable moments thrown at him from both devil fruit brothers, but then the cook tries to stake a claim, too, and that's just too much.

First Ace shows up and starts flirting with him. Then Sanji starts acting all possessive. And now Luffy is fighting with his brother and the cook. Over Zoro. What a mess...

~!~

Claimed

~!~

Chapter 1: Over Here

~!~

It was just another sunny day aboard the Going Merry. The breeze was cool, the sun's heat was mild, and the waves were peaceful. Nami had become quite good at controlling their ship away from rough weather, not that Zoro needed peaceful weather to fall asleep.

Currently, Zoro sat with his back against a wall that held the kitchen on the other side. He could smell the cook working on something, but the thought of food was well in the back of his mind. He rested with his arms behind his head, swords propped beside him, always close by and ready to access. Normally, his mind would be preoccupied with dreams of his past, of Kuina - she did like to haunt him like that - but for some reason, no matter how peaceful the day was, he couldn't get himself to really fall asleep.

The lulling movement of the ship was usually enough to send him to dream world, but for some reason, he couldn't get himself into that quiet, deep slumber. He had almost made it. Quite a few times over the past hour, in fact. But he would always be startled back awake by _some_thing, whether it was a comment from Luffy, "canon-practice" from Usopp, a kick from the cook demanding he move from his current position...

"Oi, shitty marimo, I don't care anymore if you sleep all day, but you could move your lazy ass away from the door to my kitchen!" Sanji exclaimed, kicking out at the trying-to-sleep swordsman.

Zoro moved a sheathed sword just enough to block the kick before it could reach his face. He opened his eyes and glared at the shit cook. So what if he was resting near the door? It hadn't bothered anyone before, so why did the cook have to complain now?

"I don't see what the problem is, shit-cook." He grumbled, one arm still resting behind his head where he was leaning against the wall.

Sanji lowered his foot and clenched his hands to his side. "You're blocking my walk area. How am I supposed to serve the ladies their mid-afternoon drinks if I have to keep stepping over your lazy ass?"

Instead of arguing back, Zoro found himself thinking over what the cook had said. After a moment, he sighed, shrugged, and stood up, temporarily placing his swords in their spot with his haramaki. "Whatever. Not like I could sleep anyway."

At this, Sanji seemed stunned. He just stared back at Zoro, his foot twitching as if it had been prepped to lash out again. Zoro stared back. He knew it was odd for him to give in so easily, or at all, but he just didn't feel like fighting at the moment. He hadn't been able to sleep all that well since Alabasta.

Too many close moments haunted his mind.

First, that Kuina-look-a-like had shown up. He couldn't stand seeing her. Why did she have to exist? Someone that looked like her...even talked like her...

And when Luffy had fought Crocodile. He shouldn't have been worried, and he told the others not to doubt in Luffy, but the worry had been there all the same. He knew Luffy could handle himself, knew Luffy was strong, but still...

"Oi, marimo, why are you spacing out?" Sanji said, breaking Zoro out of his drifting thoughts.

The swordsman shook his head, took a moment to clear his mind, and then sent a glare to Sanji. "Shut up," he growled before walking away.

He could feel the cook's eyes on his back as he walked to the side of the ship. He ignored the itch between his shoulder blades as he closed his eyes, turned around, and sat down, putting his back against the ship side railing. While sitting down, he brought his swords up to his arms, resting them against his shoulder, leaving the ends of the sheathes to sit in his lap inside his crossed legs. Leaning his head down, he kept his eyes closed, and did his best to ignore the still-staring eyes of the pervert cook.

Zoro took comfort in the sound of Luffy's happy exclamations while he played some childish game with Usopp, and the swordsman attempted to fall asleep yet again, trying to ignore the odd musings of his mind. Luffy was safe now. They were all safe. There shouldn't be any worry.

So what was this nagging feeling that wouldn't leave him alone?

~!~

Sanji stared after the marimo, and kept staring as the idiot swordsman sat down somewhere else, having gotten up without a fight, having moved without an argument. It was so _not_ what Zoro would have done that he couldn't help but stare, watching the green hair shift ever so slightly at the light breeze.

A part of him wanted to go prod the swordsman some more, annoy him, ask him what the hell was wrong. Because something most definitely was wrong. Zoro wouldn't just give in that easily. If Zoro wanted to sleep somewhere, Zoro damn well slept there. He wouldn't let just anyone move him out of the way, especially not Sanji.

Biting at his cigarette, Sanji stared at the swordsman now sitting across the way, sighed, and shrugged his shoulders as he made his way back to the kitchen. The shitty swordsman wasn't his problem. If Zoro wanted to have an "off" day, then so be it. He would just thank his good fortune for getting the marimo to move. A grin crossed his mouth as the thought came to him. He would have something to tease the marimo about later.

Putting the swordsman out of his mind, Sanji turned to the fruit drinks he had prepared for the girls. He knew the others would complain if he didn't make them something too, so he had a mixture of not-quite-as-good drinks set out for the others. But they wouldn't notice if Nami-san and Robin-chan had slightly better quality - or if they did, they had learned not to complain. (Though he was sure the swordsman would mutter something under his breath, like he always did).

A crash resounded through the ship as Sanji picked up the tray that held the girls' drinks, and he could hear Zoro's complaining shout. "O-Oi!"

But he thought nothing of it. Luffy and Usopp were known to bug the green haired swordsman as he slept. Especially Luffy. So nothing was really worth worrying over.

Stepping out of the kitchen, he put on his best smile and called, "Nami-swan! Robin-chwan!"

He had the drinks on a tray, and he was all prepared to serve the two ladies, but when he stepped out of the door he couldn't initially find either one of them. For a moment, he puffed on his cigarette, watching the smoke laze its way through the air. Why was the rest of the crew on the other side of the ship? Didn't everyone usually hang around on this side?

When he heard Nami-san's giggle, he relaxed and started to move away, oddly enough in the same direction where the green haired swordsman had moved his sleeping position just a few moments ago. A jealous feeling churned in the pit of his stomach, but it went away shortly when Nami appeared around the corner, smiling her bright beautiful smile.

"Oi, Sanji-kun, come look over here."

He felt his face fall into a frown as she waved at him - and then proceeded to completely ignore the drinks in his hands. She barely even looked at him before walking back around the corner. So hanging his head in slight defeat, he followed her, hoping to manage a twirl and sweet smile while serving the drink to her, at least.

But when Sanji turned the corner and saw what the girls were staring at, he found that he had to stop himself from tripping over his own feet. And he had to concentrate to keep his grip on the tray, lest it fall as a mixture of shock and... horror crossed into his emotions.

Fire Fist Ace, Luffy's brother, had apparently returned for a visit. And his first surprise for the day - because Ace was definitely known for his surprises among them - involved crouching over a certain floored green-haired swordsman. Ace's face had to be way too close to Zoro's for comfort. If Sanji were in Zoro's place, he would have already pushed the devil fruit user to the side, but the shitty marimo was _blushing_, as if... as if...

Sanji's thoughts were thankfully interrupted - by Nami's giggle and words aimed at Robin. The two ladies were standing just in front of Sanji, eyes fixed to the position of their nakama and Ace. "Oi, Robin, it feels weird to say this, but..."

"Doesn't Swordsman-san look adorable right now?" Robin said to finish the sentence.

Sanji felt the cigarette fall out of his mouth.

~!~

Ace grinned as he looked down at the blushing swordsman beneath him. So he had landed awkwardly - and he admitted that it was a little bit on purpose. He had been cruising the sea, looking for his brother's ship so he could visit. When he finally found the Going Merry, he had spotted the green hair of Luffy's first mate, and he had been happy to see that the swordsman was sleeping outside in such an easy-to-surprise position.

So, he had jumped on board and "fallen" on the swordsman - well, he had really knocked Zoro to the deck and stayed crouched over him, sticking his face in the no-longer-sleeping man's wide eyes. And so here he was, looking down at the green hair, dark eyes, and growing blush.

_Aw, that's just cute. He's blushing for me! Luffy sure knows how to pick the cute ones._

Hearing a girl's giggle, he temporarily dropped his eye-contact with the swordsman and turned to offer a smirk for the audience he had apparently gathered with his surprise drop-in. The two females were watching with wide, interested - and such, not-innocent - eyes. There was also the blond-haired cook, staring with...well, he couldn't really describe that look, though he did recognize the shock because of the open mouth and the cigarette rolling on the deck.

A hand on his chest made him turn back to Zoro to see that the swordsman was attempting to sit up. His left elbow was up and on the deck, and his right hand was on Ace's bare chest, pushing against him. But the man's face was down, as if he were hiding something - and Ace chuckled when he realized that Zoro was trying to hide the redness on his face.

"O-Oi, get off me."

Ace smirked, keeping his feet planted firmly where they were - on either side of Zoro's body. He took his own left hand and wrapped it around the one Zoro was using to push against him. "I don't think that's what you really want, do you?"

Zoro's face snapped up at the question, letting Ace see the fully flushed embarrassment of the swordsman. "H-Huuuuh?"

_Damn it, Luffy, I can't hold back from this one. He's just too damn cute._

Letting his eyes light up, Ace forced Zoro's arm down, stopping the swordsman from blocking him. Then he leaned forward, noting how Zoro seemed to instinctively move back to keep the small distance he had. "I said," he whispered, loving how the dark eyes of the swordsman seemed to be shaking in their sockets as he realized that he was trapped. "I don't think that's what you really want," Ace continued, putting emphasis on each word before leaning down and putting his mouth near Zoro's ear. "Do you?"

Ace absolutely loved the shiver that coursed down the swordsman's body when he spoke, and he couldn't resist letting his tongue lick over that ear before pulling back. He smirked when he saw the deep blush still present on Zoro's face, as well as the newly parted lips and the fact that the swordsman had closed his eyes - as if he were so embarrassed by his inability to control his body's reactions.

Running fingers over Zoro's right arm, Ace managed to get Zoro to open his eyes just in time to surprise him again. Leaning forward quickly, he locked his lips with the swordsman's, pushing his tongue between the slightly parted lips before Zoro could react and close them.

He heard a girl squeal and a door slam but didn't think anything of it.

~!~

Luffy had taken Usopp and Chopper down with him into the ship to search for more cannonballs for their practice. It was actually a lot of fun watching Usopp hit absolutely everything he aimed for. When he had invited Usopp into the crew, he hadn't even known the liar had such an awesome ability. He had just become impressed with the way Usopp handled the situation in his village - with the will he had possessed, the courage he had thrown together even if he was shaking the whole time.

But Usopp had shown to be an excellent marksman, too. Like his dad, as Usopp was proud to state. He wanted to be a "brave warrior of the sea" like his father. And Luffy would just grin, nod his head, and think how cool it was that he had chosen such a funny group of people to be his crew members.

"Oi, Luffy, did you hear that?" Usopp asked, his face currently buried in a stack of boxes, his voice muffled as he searched through the piles of random supplies. Chopper poked his head up from a rather large box he had crawled into, pulling things out of it as he searched.

Luffy stopped his own chaotic search - he honestly hadn't known there had been a pile over _there. _He thought the one pile of stuff had been right in front of him, but now there was a second pile - and it looked awfully familiar.

He lifted his head and turned to his sharp-shooter. "Hear what?"

Usopp shrugged and went back to turning boxes over. "I thought I heard Zoro shout something."

_Zoro?_ His mind whispered.

"Zoro?" Chopper exclaimed, his face instantly scrunched up in worry.

At the name, he shot to his feet, putting his hand on his head to keep his hat still. "D'you think there's trouble?"

Chopper responded to it first, standing straight up with a hoof at his chin, his nose titled as he sniffed at the air. "Well, I smell fire."

Usopp stopped his searching, turned his face around, his nose even shaking at the idea of trouble. "W-Wouldn't Z-Zoro be able to handle t-trouble, though?"

Luffy laughed on the outside. "Oh, of course," he said, but he glanced to the floor, rethinking his decision to stay down here. If Zoro had shouted... Maybe that earlier crash had been something serious after all.

Zoro was strong. And reliable. And his favorite nakama. But Zoro also came back from every battle covered in his own blood and way too close to death.

Just for a moment, he hesitated. Trying to decide if he should check up on his nakama or not. Trying to decide if it was necessary. Trying to decide if he would hurt Zoro's pride if he went up and nothing was wrong.

But in the end, his worry won out. Zoro was strong, but there was always that chance. And as much as he trusted his nakama, if he was here, he wanted to help. Besides, if there was serious trouble, a fight would be fun.

So, he left Usopp and Chopper sputtering around the boxes of supplies and he raced back to the top of the ship, trying to push away thoughts of Zoro in trouble. Working to keep himself positive. Mentally berating himself for not trusting in his nakama. They hadn't let him down; he shouldn't be worried. But what if it was someone like Crocodile? What if...?

Luffy opened the door at the top and felt his insides run cold at the scene before him. Ace, his brother, was sitting on top of Zoro. And they were _kissing_.

He wanted to run. Scream. Cry. He wanted to do a lot of things. He felt weak in the knees, and he felt red in the face - red from the anger. And his chest hurt.

_I told Ace not to... I told him I had chosen Zoro because I... I... I told him..._

Luffy's hand left the door knob in a rush, pushing it completely open, hardly hearing it slam against the wall. Still, Ace didn't look up. And even Zoro seemed lost in the moment. His heart was beating fast. It was really cold. And hot. And he couldn't tell anymore.

Clenching his hands into fists, Luffy fought the tears, welcomed the anger. But when he opened his mouth all that came out was a wimpy little whine. "Aaaaaaace..."

~!~

_End Chapter 1_

~!~

_A/N: Thoughts? Comments? ... hate mail? Leave a review, lemee know! Remember, 30 chapters are planned for this, so it's gonna be a long one, and because each chapter is a theme the chapter length may vary. Chapter 1 came out to about 3000 words. _


	2. Chapter 2

**Author Notes: **Onward with the challenge. (Omigosh reveiws wow O_o I love you guys!)

[Random info time] AcexZoro was actually my first step into yaoi fangirl-ism. Believe what you will. It all started because my brother was trying to make me 'eww' at yaoi pairings and I said something like "no one can dominate Zoro" and then he said "Ace" and I said "ah...hmmm... well... actually." Since then, my brother probably hates that he ever said that because I quickly went from AcexZoro to LuffyxZoro - also because I brought up ZoLu to my brother and he said "no, no, no, never them, don't do that, and anyway, Luffy would so dominate Zoro and you know it" And then I became a LuZo fan. And then joined the uke-Zoro fans. Funny. I blame my homophobic brother. And he hates it so...

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Piece. My disclaimers are boring. Haiku anyone? [Yeah, I know, it sucks, but there it is - the reason I don't write poetry!]

**Theme 2: **"news; letter"

~!~

Claimed

~!~

Chapter 2: Love Letter

~!~

Ace was too focused on his current prey to notice his brother. Too focused on loosening the tense shoulders of the swordsman beneath him...to notice Luffy standing in the doorway. Too focused on grabbing Zoro's green hair and pulling him down, forcing him to fall completely to the deck... to hear Luffy whine his name in complaint.

Ignoring the sounds around him - but knowing he had an audience all the same - Ace kept his lips locked to Zoro's and pushed him down, even though the swordsman refused to relax. Even though the swordsman was tense as hell, still and unresponsive. Well, except for the warmth on his face that Ace could feel being as close as he was.

Shifting positions - mainly moving his knees down to the deck - he encountered a bit of a grind and only stopped to think on it because a moan vibrated over his lips. Coming from Zoro. Ace blinked, lifting his head to stare at the red-faced swordsman beneath him - and to give them both a chance to breathe.

"Shiiit," Zoro whispered, his voice barely making it out beyond his lips.

Ace took a moment now to sit back and admire the catch he had landed on. Zoro's signature green hair almost glistened in the sunlight because it was soaked in sweat now. The swordsman panted in heavy breathes as he worked to get air back into his lungs, and Ace smirked as he ran his fingers down the white shirt, fingering the green haramaki. He watched as those always scrunched-up eyebrows twitched and the eyes slowly opened, the look Zoro passed to Ace being part glare and part...something else.

"I said..." Zoro breathed. "Get off of me."

Ace grinned at the command coming from the man trapped beneath him. It wasn't like Zoro really was in a position to be telling him what to do, after all. Not that he would listen. He was feeling way too playful to do something just because he was asked - and especially not if he was _commanded_.

"What if I don't want to?"

Ace lifted his hand, tipped his hat up because it was covering his eyesight a bit too much. He smirked at Zoro's blank expression, taking his other hand and running a finger up the jaw line, lifting the swordsman's chin to expose that muscular throat. He was about to dive down and continue the foreplay, but another, very familiar voice stopped him.

"Ace."

Immediately, he stopped what he was doing. And he even noticed that Zoro's breath seemed to catch. But Ace didn't get to see the blush spread, because he turned to face a somber-looking Luffy.

_Oh yeah. I'm on Luffy's ship._

Putting on a grin, he tried to ignore the fact that his brother's face was shrouded by his straw hat - a sure sign that Luffy was pissed. "Oi, Luffy, there you are!"

"He told you to get off," Luffy said, his voice low, dangerous, threatening.

For a moment, Ace weighed the pros and cons of fighting against his brother. He had come to visit Luffy, after all, come to spend some quality time with his brother and his crew because out on the sea there was no guarantee that they would meet again. But he hadn't expected the green haired swordsman to be out on deck - he had hoped for it, maybe, but expected? He didn't want to fight Luffy, but he'd be damned if he just stood by and let such a good catch get claimed so easily.

So, knowing exactly what kind of rift he was making, but not caring at all, Ace repeated the words he had said to Zoro earlier. "What if I don't want to?"

Luffy lifted one of his arms, cracking the knuckles in his hand. "Ace," he said, taking a step forward. "Get off."

With a frown and a forced chuckle, Ace did as Luffy said, slowly getting to his feet. When Zoro scrambled to his feet, grumbled something, and walked off - going inside somewhere, as was obvious by the squeak of the opening door - Ace waved after him. Then he turned to Luffy and shrugged.

He opened his mouth to say something, but Luffy spoke first. "I told you, Ace; I told you I wanted him," he murmured.

Ace stepped forward and stopped, standing just beside his brother and looking straight ahead, putting his hands in his pocket. "Yeah, well, what if I want him, too? Why don't we wait for him to decide, eh?"

"But..."

Ace sighed, pulled his hat down and stared at the deck, knowing Luffy was doing the same. "All right, I'll make a deal with you. I won't be so forward anymore, but neither can you. Win him over with a different method - and we'll see which brother he chooses, deal?"

Luffy turned to face him, so Ace turned to do the same. They clasped hands, and he was relieved to see the smile on his brother's face. Those eyes had a devilish spark to them, though.

"Deal."

When they dropped hands, Luffy put his arms behind his head and kicked one foot up to tap it against the deck. Ace used his thumb to tilt his hat up again. "So, do you have something around here I can write on?"

Luffy blinked and turned to look over his shoulder. "Oi, Nami?"

The orange-haired girl nodded slowly. "Yeah, I'll show you where, Ace." Nami said, waving at him to follow her.

Before he could take more than a few steps, Luffy grabbed his arm. "Why?"

Ace just smiled. "Got a message I need to write."

~!~

Sanji managed to slink past the devil fruit brothers without too much notice, and he heard Nami question him but ignored it. He had more important matters to deal with. That shitty marimo was getting in way over his head, giving Ace reactions like that.

He had to know. Why would Zoro lead him on like that? Why would _Zoro_ let his body react like that? What was going through his mind, telling Ace to get off instead of pushing the damn Fire Fist off himself? Zoro should have the strength to do it, or to at least make his point, so why hadn't he? Why had he just sat there and made it look like he was playing hard-to-get?

He slammed the door open into a darkened room, looking around before noticing the green haired swordsman sitting against a wall, his swords on the floor in front of him, his arms and legs crossed. Zoro hadn't even looked up at Sanji's intrusion; he seemed focused on the wooden deck in front of him, or maybe he was staring at the three swords, as if asking them why.

"Oi, what the hell was that, shitty marimo?" Sanji shouted, standing in the doorway, feeling the sun hit his back.

Zoro didn't look up. "Go away."

Sanji stepped forward, lighting a cigarette as he did so. "I refuse."

Zoro's face shot up, and he was glaring, the reflecting light causing shadows to hit his face in menacing angles. "Shit cook, just leave me alone."

Sanji turned around, closed the door, and turned back, meeting the glare with his own. "No." He stepped forward and crouched down at a safe, polite distance, hooking the cigarette between his fingers and blowing smoke into the dark room. "What the hell was that?" He asked again, his voice quieter this time, less anger-filled.

Giving up on getting him to leave, Zoro instead turned his head to face into the darkness, refusing to meet his eyes. "I don't know."

Sanji puffed once on his cigarette and resisted the urge to crush it in his hands. "What the hell does that mean. You don't know?"

"Yeah, I don't know what to say," Zoro said, swinging his head back around to shoot his glare again.

"How could you?"

Zoro blinked. "How could I...what?"

With a growl, Sanji stood up, tossed his cigarette to the floor and stepped on it to put it out completely, crushing it into the deck as he tried to crush his anger down. Why was he so angry anyway? He stepped forward and waited until he was right in front of Zoro, stepping over his swords. He crouched down and had no problem putting his face in front of the swordsman's, wanting the man to feel his anger.

"How could you almost let that guy rape you?"

Startled, Zoro jumped, swinging back and smacking his head against the wall behind him on accident. If Sanji hadn't been right in front of him, he probably would have fallen forward. "What the hell?" Zoro growled, rubbing his head.

"That's what I asked," Sanji muttered, narrowing his eyes, not letting his anger let up, even though it was hard not to laugh at the marimo now.

"I didn't - he didn't..."

Sanji hung his head and rubbed at his eyebrow. "You almost did."

"I wouldn't have let it go on -"

"That's not what it looked like to me, shitty marimo," he said, knowing by Zoro's silence that he had caught the swordsman now. "It looked to me like Luffy saved your ass."

To his surprise, a small smile graced Zoro's lips and he looked to the side again. "Yeah, Luffy likes to do that."

Feeling frustrated because he didn't sense that Zoro was taking this situation seriously, Sanji slammed his hands on the wall on either side of the marimo's head, leaning in close to his face as he swung back to stare him in the eyes. "You can't rely on him."

"Back off," Zoro whispered.

But Sanji was on a tirade. "You're fucking Roronoa Zoro. You should be able to take care of yourself, dammit all. No matter what the situation."

"Back off..." Zoro said again, but this time it sounded a little more breathy.

Sanji refused to back off, at least until he had said his piece. "I mean, what happened out there just wasn't you _at all_. You shouldn't have a hard time kicking someone off - are you blushing?"

He felt Zoro's hands reach up and push against his shoulders, but now he was curious, confused, shocked. "Get...off...dammit."

Sanji blinked, realizing that Zoro wasn't pushing him with the strength he should have had. Usually, if Zoro wanted something, Zoro damn well got what he wanted. With a few exceptions here and there. But as far as pushing Sanji away, there had never been much issue.

Until now. "You're blushing, aren't you?"

"N-No," Zoro denied, but he had lowered his head, trying to hide the growing pink on his face and his eyes had closed. "Damn...it," he muttered, speaking as if through clenched teeth.

For a moment, Sanji could only sit there and stare, trying to process the thought. Had he ever been this close to Zoro - and it not be in the middle of a shouting match or fight of some sort? Had he ever really been this close? This uncomfortably... No, usually Zoro only let Luffy hang on him, or Chopper. The rest of the crew just kept their distance, Sanji included.

Realizing now something he should have learned a long time ago, Sanji backed up, stood, and moved away, making his way back to the door. "That's just weird, marimo."

"Shut up," Zoro growled, placing a hand over his eyes. "Just...go away."

Letting the thought simmer for a bit, he grasped the door handle. But before he left, he turned back around and gave his nakama a warning. "You should be careful. I think Ace is staying for a while."

With that, Sanji opened the door and left the marimo alone to himself like he wanted. But he did catch the groan from the darkness before he stepped away. "...Fuck." Things aboard the ship were definitely going to heat up, of that he was sure. Too bad. He used to like Ace.

~!~

Luffy didn't get a chance to sit next to Zoro until after dinner. Ever since the incident with Ace, the swordsman had found a secluded place and managed to stay hidden. Sanji had admitted to knowing where Zoro went, but he had also warned Luffy that Zoro wanted to be alone right now.

So Luffy had grumbled, complained, and waited for his swordsman to show himself on his own. If Zoro wanted time alone, he would let him have it. Now. It would probably make Zoro happy not to be bothered anymore, especially after what Ace had done.

Now, Luffy sat at the head of the Going Merry in his special seat, staring out at the sea spray and setting sun in the distance. Robin stood nearby, offering company, watching the sunset with him. Luffy pouted his lips when the thought crossed his mind that he would rather be watching the sunset with Zoro instead of Robin, but he refrained from saying anything.

Mostly because Robin said it for him. "You would rather Swordsman-san be out here with you, huh, Captain-san?"

Luffy nodded slowly, not finding the words in his throat to answer.

"I'm a little surprised you didn't fight with your brother."

Luffy turned to her, blinking. "He's my brother. I don't want to fight him. Not now. Not over something serious."

Robin smiled, but it seemed sad. "Then what are you going to do?"

He yawned, and he was about to answer her when he heard a door open behind him. Spinning around in his seat, he saw that it was Zoro who had walked out, rubbing his neck. Luffy jumped up, grinned, and prepared to launch himself at the swordsman, before remembering that Zoro always complained when he did such a thing. So, pouting his lips a little, he climbed off of his special seat and slowly made his way over to his first crew member.

Ace beat him to it. He froze when Ace showed up next to the green haired swordsman, and he noticed that even Zoro seemed tense around the fire devil fruit user. But Ace simply gave him a piece of paper, said something that made Zoro blush - something Luffy preferred seeing when it was something _he_ had said - and then Ace left him alone.

Letting out a breath, Luffy followed the path his feet had set for him. He finally ended up next to Zoro, but the swordsman barely noticed him. Instead Zoro was reading from the paper Ace had handed him, and his face had turned a deep shade of red. Seeing the contrast between Zoro's green hair and the new color of his face, Luffy couldn't help the giggle that escaped his lips.

"Your face is red, Zoro," he said, pointing out the obvious, and grabbing his swordsman's attention at the same time.

Holding the paper in shaking fingers, Zoro looked down at Luffy and then shook his head. He crumbled the paper up and stuffed it in his pocket, saying, "Yeah, well, your brother..." He paused, looking around as if worried he would be overheard by the person he was talking about. "How can he write that?" He whispered.

Luffy giggled. And shrugged. "I could say it, so am I better?"

Zoro blinked, caught off guard. "H-Huuuh?"

"Am. I. Better?" Luffy asked again, grinning, resisting the urge to jump up and force himself into Zoro's arms.

Instead of giving the immediate answer he wanted to hear, Zoro put his hand to his head. "I-I... I can't deal with this right now." Luffy felt his eyes tearing up, not sure how to handle rejection, which had to be what Zoro had just given him. "O-Oi, Luffy, can't you just act normal?"

Luffy sniffed, put a finger to his bottom lip. "Normal?"

Zoro nodded. "Yeah. Like..." He took a breath. "Why didn't you swing from your seat to come talk to me? That would have been normal."

Luffy cocked his head to the side, looking behind him at the mentioned special seat, then turning back with a wide grin. "So you like it when I do that?"

"Well, no, not really," Zoro admitted, wincing when Luffy's face fell. "But I prefer you doing what you want, instead of you worrying about whether I'll like it or not."

Feeling excited, Luffy jumped forward, pushing Zoro back against the wall and then falling on top of him. He started to cuddle in his nakama's lap when he felt the tension and the faster heartbeat. So, trying to keep his smile, trying to act normal, he snuck a kiss, letting it land on Zoro's green haramaki, too worried to do any more than that, afraid that Zoro would push him away.

Then he sat back and swung around to sit next to his favorite nakama instead of cuddling in his lap. He had made that deal with Ace, the deal to hold back and to try a different method. But Luffy had been slowly building on Zoro's feelings for him since their first meeting. Just because he was forward every now and then didn't mean he hadn't been working on his claim since the beginning. Because he knew people. And he had known he wanted Zoro from that first meeting.

But could he make Zoro want him?

Looking up at the frowning swordsman, he had to wonder. Zoro didn't seem to be taking all this attention too well. It was all Ace's fault, too.

He blinked, remembering something. "Oi, Zoro?"

"Hm?"

"What did Ace write?"

He watched the pink blush spread across the swordsman's face, and Luffy frowned, knowing that whatever it was would always be connected with Ace's name from now on. And it would make Zoro blush, something that made Luffy jealous.

"It doesn't matter," Zoro said, clearing his throat. "I'm not responding."

Luffy smiled. "Good," he murmured before reaching out and touching Zoro's hand, only losing the smile because Zoro pulled away from him. It hurt, but he had to remind himself to give it time. Too much too fast - especially now - wouldn't work. He had to be patient.

But it still hurt.

~!~

_End Chapter 2_

~!~_  
_

_A/N: I feel like I'm so mean to Luffy, and I think Ace really came out as a bad person in this chapter. But that's just because it was mostly Sanji and Luffy point of view, and it makes sense that they don't really like Ace right now. Sanji's point of view part was my favorite this chapter ~ _


	3. Chapter 3

**Author Notes: **Sorry it took so long to get up. I am in college as a music major. Half my day is filled with class, lessons, and practice. The other is writing and sleeping. And I've been writing a one shot for every 31_days theme this month. I hate excuses, but I do feel like I have a viable one at least.

**Theme 3: **jolt!

~!~

Claimed

~!~

Chapter 3: Stormy Weather

~!~

Luffy spent most of the next day moping around, but the crew seemed to blame his mood on the rainy weather. Which, to be honest, he did mope in a similar fashion when there was rain and he wasn't allowed to go outside and run around on deck. Though he personally enjoyed running around in the rain, the crew had made a rule for devil fruit users - Luffy included - to stay inside unless it was a bad storm and they were required to keep the ship afloat. Too many incidents happened in rainy weather. Luffy just figured they were all overprotective.

Currently, they were all sitting in the kitchen area, crowded together, each doing their own thing. Sanji was slicing up fruit for a mid-afternoon snack. Robin was reading at a table, sitting next to Luffy. Usopp was sitting on the floor with Chopper, the two building something with a set of small colored rods and blocks of different shapes and sizes. Nami was sitting across from him, sifting through maps and glancing at the newspaper articles she had opened, multitasking as she caught up on the latest news and worked on her maps at the same time. Zoro was sleeping in a far corner, and Ace was hanging around Sanji, offering to help but really just being a bother.

Luffy really wanted to tackle Zoro and force him to play a game, but he didn't know if that was against the rules or not. To be honest, he didn't truthfully know what Ace had meant by being "straight forward" or where he drew the line. He assumed tackling was out of the question, since Ace had done that at the start of all the problems, but then again it wasn't like he would be trying to steal a kiss. He just wanted a playmate now - and his usual backups were busy.

So he pouted, elbows on the table, and stared at Nami. Watched her work. Followed her eyes as the irises moved back and forth while she read, and then blinked quickly and flicked to her maps. As she drew a line, her tongue would slowly leave her mouth and grip against her check, giving her face a look of intense concentration. A look Luffy had seen from Usopp when the sharpshooter was drawing or painting or sculpting or otherwise being artistic.

Was map-making like an art?

He had never noticed her focus for it before. He had never taken the time to notice. He had always been busy watching someone else; it was much more fun to poke at a sleeping Zoro than to annoy a busy Nami, after all.

The rain pelted outside, hitting the sides of the ship relentlessly but not hard enough to cause worry; the wind was not strong enough to mean danger. Nami would notice if something changed. He could trust in her because she was his navigator.

Suddenly, the pen Luffy was staring at stopped moving across the paper and it was set down. "What's wrong, Luffy?" Nami asked.

Luffy pouted his lips out, feeling his fingers pressing against his face, fighting a strange urge to stretch his cheeks and pop them back. "I'm bored," he groaned.

To his surprise, Zoro responded to the comment. "Keh, like that's new."

Luffy looked up at his swordsman's voice, staring across the table at the other side of the room where Zoro sat against the far wall, one leg pulled up with his knee bent, the other lying straight out in front of him. His swords were on the floor beside him, never far from reach. Of course his arms were crossed and his eyes were half-opened. It was almost like nothing had happened yesterday, like whatever had been bothering Zoro had strangely been forgotten and the green haired swordsman was glaring at Luffy for waking him up, even if Nami had been the one to speak.

It made Luffy want to pounce the swordsman even more, but a glance toward Ace - who was leaning against a counter, quiet and observant - kept him in his seat. _'Stupid deal.'_

"Ne, Zoro, can I play with you?"

Zoro didn't even blink at the question. He did what he always did: he rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Not now; try someone-"

"What if I want to play with you, Zoro-kun?"

Ace's version of the question made the swordsman freeze his words, tense his body. Luffy could only watch as Zoro's hand went to his pocket; he could only watch as the blush formed on the tan skin. He wished he could read what was in Zoro's mind, wished he could know what Ace had written in that letter.

Feeling bubbles in the pit of his stomach mixed with anger, Luffy turned to his brother, hating the grin hiding under shadowed eyes. He stuck his tongue out and Ace shrugged in response.

Everyone else seemed poised on Zoro's answer, waiting for the usual, listening in because they knew it was taking Zoro too long to answer such a simple question. After a moment, the swordsman took a breath and stood up, taking his swords with him as he aimed for the door.

"I need some air," he muttered, walking outside into the pouring rain, much to Luffy's disappointment.

_'He never answered Ace's question. Does that mean he...?'_

With a growl, kicking his legs under the table, he turned a glare to his brother, who was still leaning against the counter, arms crossed, hat down to shade his eyes. "Can't you just leave him alone?"

Ace looked up but his smirk didn't drop. "He's fun to play with; isn't that why you like him?"

"Well, yeah, but..." Luffy grumbled.

Ace stepped over to his brother and pressed down on the straw hat, but he put too much force into it and ended up shoving Luffy's face into the wooden table. "Besides, we made a deal and I'm not being straight-forward." Luffy's arms reached around and grabbed onto Ace's wrist, but his brother didn't let go. "It's not my fault if you're being too subtle for him to get the message."

Growling into the table, Luffy clenched his teeth and snapped at his brother. "I just don't want to scare him off."

In a sudden movement, Ace released his hold on Luffy. When Luffy sat up again, rubbing his neck, he looked over to see Ace with a hand at his chin. "Do you think I'm scaring him off?"

Nami was the one to answer, smiling as she tried to focus on her map making. "I don't think Zoro is used to the attention so you might be."

Ace nodded his head, opened his mouth to say something else, but the squeak of the door opening brought the room's attention away from the fire devil fruit user. Since no one came in and Luffy hadn't managed to see who had left, he started looking around the room to figure out who was missing. Usopp and Chopper were still on the ground, a miniature ship still in the process of being built with their blocks. Robin hadn't moved from her position next to him, though her book had closed. And Nami hadn't moved either, beyond craning her head around to see the door.

Luffy blinked when he thought of the two people that left. He spun his eyes to the sink and found the cook missing.

"Why would Sanji go out in the rain?" Usopp asked, being the first to speak the question.

Luffy shrugged, not thinking anything of it, until Ace voiced his opinion. "Maybe he's got a crush on Zoro, too, and this is his chance to have our favorite swordsman alone."

Nami laughed, as if the idea were absurd, but Luffy felt his heart skip a beat as his body tensed at the idea.

_'Not Sanji too...'_

~!~

Sanji had his hand on the cigarette before his mind could tell his fingers about the rain. He grimaced, threw the soaked thing away, and shifted his jacket to try to keep the rain from streaking down his back between skin and shirt. Eventually, he gave up and let his eyes search the deck for his reason for coming out here.

He found Zoro near the front of the ship, hands stretched apart on the railing, face leaning into the angle of the rain. The green hair shifted ever so slightly in the light wind and the white shirt was now completely soaked through, as were the dark pants and haramaki.

Honestly, he hadn't excepted to find Zoro standing in the rain; he had more or less planned to find the marimo in the men's quarters down below. Now he had to think of a new excuse to confront the swordsman. After a few moments of being pelted by rain, Sanji shook his head and gave up on the idea of an excuse; if Zoro read too much into his choice to come talk, then so be it. Then again, he didn't think Zoro read between the lines on anything so maybe he would be safe.

Picking up his feet, he moved forward and made his way to the railing beside the green haired swordsman. Avoiding the urge to meet the gaze that moved to him, he instead placed his arms on the wet railing - wincing when he realized how much water had collected on the wood. He focused on a random spot in the ocean and decided to watch the waves as they moved across the waters.

He thought about why he had come out here, unable to give himself a satisfactory answer. Why _did_ he suddenly care about the problems surrounding the marimo? It wasn't like Zoro needed help or advice or... Well, come to think of it, maybe he did. Sanji had never known the swordsman to deal with flirtation, well or otherwise. And Ace and Luffy were so suddenly jumping him with attention, he probably felt incredibly overwhelmed.

So, that's why Sanji was out here. Because Zoro was nakama and having love issues. Not because he cared _like that_, but because he was concerned for a friend.

"Why are they doing this?" Zoro muttered into the rain.

Sanji risked a glance over to see the swordsman focusing at a point in the distance, much in the same way Sanji had earlier. The dark eyes squinted against the rain but didn't close, staying focused on that singular point in the distance as if it were the only thing he could trust in.

Clearing his throat, Sanji answered, "Simple answer: they like you, though why is beyond my reasoning because to me you're just a shitty marimo."

At the insult, Zoro's lips actually tilted up in a small smile, as if thankful for the one consistency he could rely on. The smile didn't stay long, quickly falling to a frown. "So what's the complicated answer?"

Sanji sighed and moved a hand to the back of his head, rubbing against his hair as if the movement would will the thoughts to coalesce into words. "Well..." he started, finding himself without the needed words. So he stopped and dropped his arm, placing his hand a little too close to Zoro's - seeing as the marimo winced at the closer proximity. "Apparently, Luffy is trying to be subtle and win you over by being nice, which I guess in his mind translates to him leaving you alone."

Zoro grunted, muttering something under his breath, his eyes glancing down at the waves near the boat instead of out in the distance.

Sanji let out a breath, wished for a cigarette, and continued. "Ace, on the other hand, apparently made an agreement with Luffy to be less straight forward."

Zoro spun his head to face him. "If he's being subtle, I don't want to know what his idea of a serious flirt..."

"Probably rape," Sanji said, surprised to hear the growl in his voice.

Zoro blinked and narrowed his eyes. "I could stop something like _that_, I just..."

"Just choose not to?" Now Sanji knew for sure he was scowling.

"What? No!" Zoro exclaimed at the very idea, his eyes now wide, throwing one arm up as if to accent his point, keeping the other holding tight to the railing. "Why would I allow something like that to happen? Why would you _think_ I'd allow something like that?"

Feeling his own eyes narrow, Sanji decided to ignore the contact bubble Zoro had placed around himself. He positioned himself in front of the marimo, who now had both hands and his back on the ship's edge. Jabbing a finger at the swordsman's chest, Sanji felt his voice raise with his anger.

"You almost did yesterday, idiot marimo!"

At the words, Zoro grimaced and looked away, as if afraid to meet his eyes. He could almost read the dazed expression, guessing that the green haired man was thinking back to the other day, hating the reminder. Because it was true.

"I was just put off balance," Zoro mumbled into the rain, as if even he thought the excuse was pathetic.

Sanji crossed his arms and stared him down. Glared, even. "Uh huh. Sure. That's fucking pathetic, marimo. You? Off balance? Did you even know what Ace was doing or were you just trapped and reacting like that because..."

He drifted off. An idea had hit him. A preposterous idea. Something he had assumed from the beginning but had never asked about. Maybe his assumption had been wrong. Maybe Zoro was actually in fact...

"Because what, shit-cook?" Zoro growled, his eyes now connecting with Sanji's, meeting him glare for glare. "Don't leave the sentence hanging when I know you have an insult ready. You've never held back before. What's wrong now?"

Sanji ignored him, pouncing with his question instead. "Are you a virgin?"

For a moment, Zoro just stared back at him, his eyes blinking in confused silence. The rain ran between them, leaving tracks on their skin. Sanji watched it drip from the short green hairs near the top of Zoro's forehead, only to be quickly wiped off by a large tan hand. And of course the water started to gather again, fueled by the pouring rain - it had started to pour harder the longer they spent out here.

"What kind of question...?"

"Just answer it," Sanji snapped. "Or are you afraid of telling me because you are one?"

Zoro scowled in response, his teeth grinding against each other. Sanji noticed the hands clench around the railing, and he recognized the actions of someone trying to decide whether or not to lie. But why would Zoro want to lie unless he...?

The cook snorted and turned his glance down. "Well that explains a lot."

"Oi, I didn't even say anything!" Zoro snapped, but his face was red because he knew Sanji had figured out the answer.

"And that's all I needed," Sanji retorted with a shrug. "You should work on lying, marimo; maybe Usopp could give you lessons."

"I didn't say anything..." Zoro mumbled, but his repeated words were soon forgotten when a loud crash resounded around the ship.

Sanji glanced up in time to see the bright flash of a lightning bolt still blurred against the darkened sky. His eyes blinked, feeling blinded because the damn thing had been so close and left an imprint in the air nearby. Not to mention, his ears felt like someone had shot a gun right beside him without a warning. The light left eventually and sound returned to his ear drums shortly after, allowing him to both see that Zoro had spun around and hear the all-too-predictable curse.

"Shit!" Zoro snapped, starting to turn again. "Oi, cook, go get Nami -" but his words were cut off yet again as another lightning bolt crashed nearby. This time it almost hit the ship.

Seeing as Zoro was on the edge, he stumbled backward at the close proximity of the electricity attacking from the sky. Sanji watched as if in slow motion as the swordsman lost his footing and started to fall back. He reacted instinctively, seeing as Zoro would have taken _him_ down to the deck floor as well if he had continued to fall. So he reached out, catching the stumbling swordsman underneath his armpits.

"Well, that was interesting." Sanji commented.

There was a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach, but he didn't have time to dwell on it. Even without being called, Nami was out of the ship cabin, along with the rest of the crew and Ace. The navigator started to do her work, shouting orders as the storm escalated in power around them.

"Sanji, Zoro, grab that rope!"

Apparently, Nami's order was enough to get Zoro to move. He started to twist out of the cook's grip, but Sanji had a strange urge to hold him back, so he held fast, refusing to let go. "Oi, cook, what the hell are you doing?"

Smirking, wishing he could be in front of the green haired man to see his reaction, Sanji leaned down and kissed the side of the marimo's neck, feeling the swordsman's entire body tense as a warmth immediately appeared, spreading. Trying to hold back his laughter, he let Zoro free, only to lose it when the man spun around, face flushed red and angry as hell.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, shit-cook?" Zoro screamed, clenching his fist but keeping a distance now, as if afraid to get anywhere near close contact.

Sanji just laughed in his face, working hard not to double over, gripping his side as the rain continued to wash over his soaked hair and skin. "Now I know why Ace enjoys this," he said, losing himself to laughter once again at Zoro's frozen, slightly dazed deadpan stare.

"What?"

Sanji took a breath, forced himself under control, and resolved to smirk and nothing more. "You're so fun to tease." Zoro's face paled and Sanji had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep control of his laughter. "Don't take it too seriously, marimo. It was a joke."

"Sanji! Zoro!" Nami screamed from a spot near the helm where she was trying to watch what everyone was doing and stare into the darkness of the storm all around them.

"That's a sick joke," he heard Zoro mutter as he started to reach for the rope Nami had indicated earlier.

But then Chopper's scream broke through, interrupting Sanji's chance at a response. "Luffy fell overboard!"

Sanji immediately reached for his tie, intending to take it off as his shoes were kicked off his feet. But when he glanced to where Zoro had been standing, he realized that the marimo hadn't even hesitated. The swordsman was already jumping in the water to search for his captain. Sanji sighed. Even after all the weird shit and awkward moments Luffy had put Zoro through recently, the marimo _hadn't even hesitated_.

As he went back to the more pressing matter of following Nami-san's navigation orders, Sanji realized he was frowning. He snapped at himself, wondering why the fuck he was acting like he was jealous or something. He was just mad at getting water in his shoes for no reason. That was all.

With a grumble, he glanced over to see Ace standing on the edge of the rocking ship, staring down into the water, and he actually had to wonder. Didn't Ace realize who Zoro actually responded to? Or was that longing look one of envy? Did Ace know and yet not care?

Sanji scowled, and then frowned when he realized what he was doing. Why the hell did he even give a shit?

~!~

_A/N: Whew, again, sorry that took so long. I did a little at a time as often as I could. Sleep is good, too, after all._

_Kairi says: The lightning bolt idea was mine. Keheh_


	4. Chapter 4

**Author Notes: **Charging headlong into the abyss, will you like where this goes or will you hate me for doing such a twist? Only one way to find out! Read on, brave adventurers! (Not like I'm tired or crazy or anything).

What I mean to say is: I'm a lover of adventure-type plots, so I've thrown a mini-adventure into the story. Don't worry it won't last all 30 chapters. That's not my aim, after all.

**Theme: **"our distance and that person"

**Pairing: **Just to reiterate: LuffyxZoro centered but includes SanZo and AceZo so if you like any of those pairings you _will get your wish_ - just, the end result will be my wish, kay? I've got 30 chapters to throw together, so there's ample opportunity.

~!~

Lost

~!~

Zoro let all other thoughts go to the side as he dove into the icy water. His swords were still strapped to his waist - which made him berate himself for jumping in without thinking. He prayed it wouldn't ruin them to be soaked in sea water, but hopefully this wouldn't take all too long.

He didn't want to think too much right now. Luffy was in trouble. His heart was beating faster with every stroke he made, every glance, that turned up showing nothing. He could feel the sword weight pulling on him, trying to drag him down. He ignored it, swimming around frantically to try to find his captain.

Damn devil fruit. Damn storms. This happened way too much, way too often. They should get a leash and tie Luffy to his special seat to keep him from falling into the water. The boy didn't care for his own well being at all. What would he do if he died from something this stupid? What would the crew do? What would _he_ do?

Clenching teeth behind closed lips, Zoro shook the thoughts away. No one was going to die. He was going to find Luffy and pull the boy up to the surface, back to the ship, and then he would get yelled at by Nami for taking too long.

A flash of red in the dark waters caught his attention, and he swam down in that direction. Relief started to poke at his worry when he saw Luffy, but he wasn't completely cool yet. The crazy captain was hanging so limply in the water, his eyes closed, mouth open even, and there was a trail of blood leading Zoro to the boy, so the red had been blood and not the boy's shirt like he had hoped.

With a grimace, Zoro moved forward and wrapped his arms around Luffy's middle, getting a good grip before kicking his feet and aiming up. They broke the surface of the water, but Luffy was still unresponsive, the limp rubber in his arms making Zoro's heart beat faster.

_Damn it, Luffy, wake up. Cough. Do __**something**__!_

But the boy captain hardly moved, waving with the ocean water, making no other sign of life. Getting a gulp of air for himself, Zoro cursed and glanced around frantically, looking for the ship. The ocean water was deceptively cold, the torrential rain stinging as it smacked into his face and neck. Where was the ship?

A too-close-for-comfort lightning strike gave him the desired light to see by, but it didn't reveal the current object of his conquest. Instead, all he could see was the rocks of a reef and the sand of a beach in the distance. It looked like a ridiculous swim, but Luffy wasn't moving in his arms and some higher power had decided to keep the Going Merry hidden.

So, really, even if it would wear him out, even if the distance promised to be more than he could handle, what choice did he have? At the very least, he could count it as a form of training.

Shifting Luffy's position so that he had a better grip, Zoro clenched his teeth and started to make his way to the only safety he could find.

Damn crew hiding the ship from him in the middle of a storm. If anything happened to Luffy, he would blame them all.

~!~

Finally, after what seemed to be a ridiculous long time of holding ropes and attempting to control the ship, of listening to Nami-swan and glaring at Ace for not doing anything... But finally the storm was clearing up. Rain still drizzled lightly, but the waves were calm and the sun was starting to poke out from thinning clouds.

Sanji released a heavy breath and reached into his jacket, not surprised to find the entire pack soaked from the heavy rainstorm. He grimaced and leaned back against the ship railing, crossing his arms and grinding his teeth because he didn't have anything else to chew on. Glancing to the front of the ship, he sent a glare to the moody devil fruit user who had stolen their captain's seat. Ace refused to respond to any of them, staring straight ahead in the distance, quiet and somber almost as he crouched on Merry's head, the tattoo on his back almost seeming to glare right back at Sanji.

A hand touched the railing beside him, a very soft feminine hand, turning Sanji's gaze to the black haired beauty. Robin held out a dry pack of cigarettes and he burst into an appreciative grin as he accepted them. "Arigatou, Robin -ch-"

"Which one do you think he's worried about?" Robin interrupted, nodding her head in Ace's direction.

Placing a cigarette in his mouth and lighting up, Sanji turned back to stare at Luffy's brother. After the storm, they had discovered that Zoro hadn't returned with Luffy, and the entire ship was in a funk of silent worry. The island had been spotted and they had decided to head toward it, but even the few minutes of travel were being spent in heavy silence.

Lacking both first mate and captain, they felt empty. And no one dared voice the real reason for their worry. Just like no one dared voice Ace's lack of involvement during the storm. Just like no one dared confront the devil fruit user now, as he stared into the distance.

Puffing out a stream of smoke, Sanji shrugged. "I don't know. Probably both."

Robin didn't respond to the comment, simply standing beside him and staring into the distance with the others. The island was close. Someone was going to have to lower the anchor soon. And why the hell did simply thinking of the anchor make him think of Zoro - and why did his heart clench?

"It's not like a storm would get the best of those two..." Sanji murmured, catching himself chewing on his cigarette and cursing softly.

"Hmm, but Luffy may have been in the water for too long..."

"Don't say something like that!" Sanji snapped. It wasn't until he blinked and saw Robin's wide eyes that he realized what he had done. Shouting at a lady. He shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. "Zoro just wouldn't let that happen."

At Robin's smile, he felt a sense of confusion. And then she turned away and said over her shoulder, "So you do use his name."

Sanji could only blink after her, trying to make a sense of the mess of feelings. Worry for nakama was normal. He was just off balance because he was worried. Nothing else. So, why did she have to mention that little detail as if it really meant something else?

~!~

Arms aching, Zoro sighed in relief when his feet touched a sandy bottom. Blinking sea water out of his eyes, he slowly pushed forward, standing up straight in the water as each step brought him and the still unresponsive Luffy closer to the beach.

Everything about his movements was lethargic; his eyelids fluttered as they fought to stay open. Finding his determination, Zoro clenched his jaw and forced himself forward, pushing through the water, crushing the sandy gravel beneath his soaking boots.

As soon as the water fell to about waist high, Zoro pulled Luffy into an easier-to-carry position. So what if it was a bridal style carry? Luffy's body was significantly smaller than his own and it just wouldn't feel right to throw the captain over his shoulder. And there was no need to spend extra energy shifting the boy to the more common piggy-back carry; not when the destination was so close.

So, fighting his exhaustion, Zoro held Luffy in his arms, letting the boy's head rest against his chest. The straw hat had gone missing. Naturally, it hadn't been on Luffy's head when he was under water and the waves had been so great that Zoro would have needed more luck to spot the straw in the ocean. It had probably flown away on the wind, a precious item to join the many already lost at sea. He knew Luffy was going to be upset when he woke up.

_When_ he woke up. Definitely when. Zoro couldn't bear to imagine the alternative, wouldn't _allow_ himself to

imagine the alternative.

He frowned as he moved to the beach, realizing that he had subconsciously been rubbing his fingers across Luffy's bare skin. He couldn't tell if Luffy's body was cold, or if the breeze was just chilly because of being in the water for so long. But it really started to worry him and he had to force those thoughts out of his mind.

One more step and the water around his feet retreated back into the ocean. He kept moving, but his legs began to feel somehow heavier as his mind noted how close he was to laying down. How close he was to resting. How close he was to sleeping off the aches and exhaustion.

Taking a breath, Zoro clung tighter to Luffy and lowered himself to his knees in the sand, having reached the edge of the tide. Ever so slowly and carefully, he set the raven haired boy down, laying him out on the sand, noting the slash near his collarbone, assuming there had been more involved in his falling overboard than the usual hyperactive silliness. He frowned when he noticed the purplish-blue tint to Luffy's lips, and the still chest.

_Dammit, Luffy. Breathe!_

He placed his hands on his captain's chest, biting his bottom lip as he groaned, feeling his heart beat increase at the lack of heart beat from Luffy. Trying to keep his hands from shaking, not feeling the water dripping from his own body, he traced his fingers up Luffy's chest, resting them around the shoulders. Hearing nothing but the pounding of blood in his ears, he grabbed a hold of the shirt fabric and pulled up, shaking Luffy in a desperate attempt to wake him up.

"Don't you dare," he murmured the words at first, but he quickly increased as the panicking part of his mind started to break out. "Don't you _dare_!" Zoro shouted, breathing in quicker pants as he watched his captain's head shake limply.

_He's not waking up. Shit... Think. What am I supposed to do? Damn it all! What?_

The only sound on the beach was the rush of the tide moving in and out. Zoro stared at his unresponsive captain and racked his brain trying to think of what to do. What would Chopper do? He had to get Luffy's heart pumping again. Had to make him breathe again.

Placing his hands on Luffy's chest, knowing enough to position in the correct spot. He knew at least some things from experiences with Johnny and Yosaku. Even as bounty hunters, things sometimes went too close to the brink - yeah, he understood that better than anyone. He pumped down a few times, knowing the motions, not knowing the correct number or even if there was a better way, but knowing what he could do was the best he had.

_Dammit, dammit, dammit._

He stared at Luffy's face the whole time, waiting for the lips to open, waiting for the eyes to open. Something. Anything.

_Breathe, dammit!_

He moved, shifted in the sand, and lowered his mouth to Luffy's, hesitating just slightly before pressing his lips to his captain's and breathing, giving air to the still boy, the one he had followed. He felt movement beneath his hands and he sat back as Luffy began to cough, shooting water into the air.

Feeling his heart beat start to slow to a controllable level, Zoro took in a deep breath and watched his captain's eyes slowly open. Watched the lips lift at the corners. "Mmm... Zoro." Luffy blinked, eyes focusing to see who was sitting over him. Then his eyes closed again and he murmured between breathes. "Tastes...good."

As Luffy fell into a peaceful sleep, Zoro ran a hand across his face, shaking away the water and the heat with a quick movement of his head. Letting out his breath in a rush of air, he turned to look out across the open ocean, empty for as far as he could see.

_Now what?_

As much as Zoro wanted to sleep away the exhaustion - it had started coming back to him as the panicking adrenaline dissipated - he knew that simply falling asleep on the edge of the tide was a bad idea. He could close his eyes and wake up drowning in the ocean, separated from Luffy. With a grimace at the thought, he shook his head and shifted his swords at his waist. Bending over, he pulled Luffy into his arms once again and started to look around the beach for a good place to set up camp.

Somewhere near the edge of that jungle seemed like a good idea... Zoro would worry about finding the others once he was sure Luffy was safe, and once he could get some rest for himself.

~!~

Sanji decided to confront Ace when they docked at the island town. The others prepared for a search-and-rescue mission, as Usopp and Chopper decided to name it, being the most obvious about their worry. The whole time they worked at docking the ship, Usopp had been making up horror stories on what could have happened to Luffy and Zoro - and Chopper started screaming and running around in circles. Nami had to calm the reindeer and make promises that they would find the captain and first mate in no time and they would both be fine; hopefully her words wouldn't turn out to be empty promises.

After lowering the plank from the ship to the wooden dock, and escorting the two ladies down, Sanji walked back to where Ace was standing on the edge of the wooden walkway, staring at an angle as if he were looking through the jungle trees located behind the small village. Sanji approached the devil fruit user, intending to berate him for not helping; intending to lash out about his recent actions. Not that the fiasco with Zoro and Ace was still bothering him. He was just angry at Ace for making Luffy so upset.

But the freckled face turned to him, frowning. "They're on the other side," he said, nodding his head in the direction he had previously been staring.

Sanji took the cigarette out of his mouth and held it over the side. He tapped it, watching the ash fall into the ocean water. There was a light breeze and the ocean was incredibly calm now, an exact opposite compared to the current feelings among the Strawhat crew.

They could handle being separated in battle, trusting each other to live through such things. But weather? How often were they separated because of a storm? It made Sanji wish he had beaten Zoro over the side of the ship, that he had been the one to rescue Luffy, blaming their current separation on the swordsman's poor direction sense. Using the storm was just an excuse. They were pirates; how the hell did they get separated because of the one common thing on the Grand Line?

When he brought the cigarette back to his mouth, he crossed his other arm over his chest, letting his wrist rest underneath the armpit of his other arm. "What makes you say that?"

Ace shrugged, reaching up to pull his hat off his head and let it hang behind him, covering up the Whitebeard symbol on his back. "Just a feeling."

Before he could question Luffy's brother more, a different voice grabbed his attention - faster even than normal because of the tone it conveyed. "Saaaaanji-kun." The crack at the end of the call was what had him prepared when he spun around.

At the edge of the dock, Nami, Robin, Usopp, and Chopper were caught in a circle, trapped by scared, angry villagers with guns. Biting down on his cigarette, Sanji glanced over to Ace, who shook his head.

_Give up? Really?_

The fire devil fruit user moved before Sanji could change his mind's choice of action. Ace stepped forward, hands up to show his palms. "What's the problem here?"

One of the villagers, an older man dressed in a nice shirt and pants, probably the mayor or choice of village leader, responded with a growl. "We don't like your kind here. Leave before I have to do something I'd rather leave to you people."

"Y-you mean k-kill us?" Usopp stuttered, squeaking when one of the other villagers poked a gun up against his nose.

Sanji sighed and tossed his cigarette over the side. It was just their luck to land on a pirate-hating island. How he wished for the days of that first island in the Grand Line. Whiskey Peak. Even if it had been full of bounty hunters and all a trap, at least the idea of being loved as pirates was a nice dream to fall into.

Closer to the village streets itself, a crowd had started to gather, keeping itself a certain distance from the "evil" pirates. Hearing a child cough, Sanji glanced over to notice an oddity: red spots covering the young girl's arms and face. He turned his attention back to his nakama, seeing Chopper's hooves shaking against his backpack straps.

He cleared his throat and stepped forward to stand beside Ace, noting at the same time how others in the village seemed to be sporting similar marks, even one or two holding the guns. "I can't help but notice some of you are sick with some kind of disease," he said to the leader.

The older man betrayed his emotion when he glanced over his shoulder back toward the village, his eyes softening. But the growl was back on his face when he turned back to Sanji. "Everything's fine."

Sanji shrugged, "Well, I was going to-"

"Let me help!" Chopper shouted, his high voice carrying along the wind, his eyes full of determination as he stared down the barrel of a gun, probably focusing on the more important matter.

Sanji almost laughed at the shocked expression on the man's face - a talking reindeer, after all, wasn't all that common. "He's a doctor. And, really, we don't mean any harm."

Thankfully, another cough came from the girl, who was holding back tears. Sanji was pretty sure without the girl there, this whole fiasco could have been much worse. As it was, the men gave in quickly and easily, allowing Chopper free to work his doctor magic. They must have been pretty desperate.

Ace was the only one to voice a complaint. "And I was about to show them some fire works, too."

Sanji laughed before he could hold himself back. "You're impossible."

At the words, the gleam left Ace's eyes and he started to stare at the jungle again, frowning, glancing over his shoulder to look up toward the Strawhat flag. "Luffy's worse."

"He's fine," Sanji mumbled. "Zoro's with him."

~!~

_A/N: Well, like or hate the direction it's going? Review and let me know!_

_Kairi says: Reda-Aneki be making it look like Ace/Sanji ;p Don't kill me! *runs away*_


	5. Chapter 5

**Author Notes: **I apologize for taking so ridiculously long to get this chapter up. School went kind of hectic for a while. Had a clarinet recital I was practicing for and so I wasn't doing much besides reading and writing a few words here and there. Well, so that recital may be over but the end of the semester is coming up and gosh darn-it I need to get that grade up in my Ear Training class. So I'll be "studying" (which for that class means listening to intervals and chords and trying to identify them by size and type and oi us music majors are so strange...)

**Theme: **"ano sa"

**Pairing: **This chapter: mostly LuZo/ZoLu cuteness ~ Because Luffy poses the oddest of questions/comments sometimes...

~!~

Hey, You Know...

~!~

The dawn came slowly with the sunlight filtering through the jungle trees, waking Luffy from his restless sleep. His eyelids slid open, meeting the warmth of the rising sun. As he came awake, he heard the buzz of insects, the chirping of crickets, calls of morning birds, and the light sound of someone breathing deeply in sleep beside him.

Sitting up, he turned to grin at the sleeping Zoro, taking in the small frown on the angular face, looking serious even in sleep. A part of him wanted to cuddle up next to the swordsman, but he had a fear of waking Zoro up and losing the moment. So, with a sigh, Luffy kept his hands in his lap and stopped staring at the green hair.

He moved his gaze to the beach before him and the ocean just beyond that. His mind started to wonder why he was out here with just Zoro or where 'here' was exactly, but then with the approach of a cool breeze he remembered the sudden storm. He remembered walking out on deck and seeing Sanji holding onto Zoro. He remembered being upset and running off to try to find something to distract himself, maybe help Nami lead the ship through the storm. He remembered the rush of wind that stole his hat, and how he jumped to the railing in order to catch it, but...he didn't remember grabbing it. And then there was water...and cold...and darkness...

He could remember only flashes of scenes after that. Someone holding him. More water. A flash of light. And then a good taste on his lips, a warmth flooding through the cold.

And Zoro...

Tilting his head to the side, Luffy stared at the sleeping green haired swordsman. Now he really wanted to reach out and cuddle. His hat was gone. He was separated from his crew. But Zoro had rescued him.

Zoro...had...

Pushing down the stupid emotions, Luffy took a good look around, noting their position on the edge of the jungle and the beach. His stomach growled for food but he didn't want to try searching for meat, not with the possibility that Zoro would wake up, find him missing, and get lost looking for him. No, it was definitely better to try to find food somewhere nearby. He glanced up, to the trees, grinning wide when he saw a large fruit hanging from the palm trees.

Stretching out an arm, Luffy quickly picked the fruit and brought it to his lap where he knocked on it a few times. It reminded him of the fruits from Skypeia. Not wanting to repeat that mistake and break his teeth - and neither did he want to eat it all by himself - Luffy glanced at Zoro's swords lying on the ground inches from the swordsman's reach. Shifting his eyes to Zoro's face, he determined that the swordsman was probably deeply sleeping and not likely to wake up anytime soon, at least not if he was quiet enough.

So, concentrating on being as quiet as possible, Luffy stretched out his right arm, holding the fruit in his other hand. Everything was going according to plan, until his finger touched the hilt of the white sword and a grip on his rubbery arm kept him from going further.

"That's enough."

The deep voice and stern command made him freeze at first. Then pout when his mind said 'Zoro's awake.' He turned to face the swordsman, tugging against the strong grip in an attempt to pull his arm back to a normal length.

Zoro had his eyes barely cracked open, one hand still resting beneath his green hair. There was a frown on his face as the eyes almost seemed to glare in Luffy's direction. But he didn't say anything. Luffy kept expecting Zoro to berate him for doing something wrong - or foolish. Like hanging over the edge of the ship to reach his hat - or attempting to use the nice swords to break open food.

But Zoro just stared back at him, not saying a word.

Eventually, Luffy stopped trying to break free of the insane grip. Of course Zoro's grip was strong. He would only choose strong or cool people to be a part of his crew, and Zoro more than fit that description. Luffy could probably break free if he really tried, but he didn't want to be that forceful around Zoro.

Besides, it felt kind of nice to have the swordsman holding on to him so tightly.

"Oi, Zoro, you know what?" Luffy mumbled, keeping his gaze down, using his free hand to pick at the large melon or coconut or whatever fruit in his lap.

Zoro didn't so much mumble a response as grunt - the swordsman's little way of acknowledging that someone was talking to him. There was probably a lifting of the eyebrow or wider opening of the eyes, but Luffy wasn't looking at the green haired man now so he wouldn't know for sure.

He took a breath and changed his mind at the last second. Lifting his head, he grinned wide, closing his eyes in the process. "You're like a ninja!"

This comment naturally put Zoro off balance, since the air before hand had seemed much more serious. And with the swordsman slightly off balance, Luffy was able to wrench his arm free and have it snap back into position, a little painfully but he was used to that by now.

"What the hell?" Zoro queried.

Luffy grinned to see his swordsman's eyes wide and blinking. He kind of loved that confused off-balance side of Zoro. That may have been why he had quickly grown the habit of saying things that would make the usually stoic swordsman stumble. Their friendly relationship had almost become like a game to Luffy, as the captain's comments went further and further from normal with each passing day. His one fear: that Zoro would become used to it and no longer react the same.

"How did you come up with 'ninja'?"

Grinning wide, Luffy put his elbows on the fruit and leaned down into his hands. "Well, that trick of looking like you were asleep...it was like a ninja! The way you snapped awake like that!"

Eyes still blinking, Zoro sat up. "Huh?"

Luffy laughed and tried a different way to explain it. "Well, ninjas are cool...and you're pretty cool. So, you're like a ninja!"

Luffy felt his chest explode in butterflies when he saw the slight blush form on Zoro's face - probably from the random off-the-wall comment. He was alone with Zoro now, alone and happy and without Ace here to ruin things. Though the swordsman would never want to bond any closer than nakama, Luffy could at least recognize that stranded alone on an island together meant he had a chance.

He had a chance.

With his fingers pressed against his smile, Luffy watched Zoro put a hand to the green hair and shake his head. "That doesn't make any sense, Luffy. We're pirates."

"So?"

Zoro sighed. "Pirates...cannot...be ninjas."

Puffing his lips out in an exaggerated frown, Luffy tilted his head to the side. "Why not?"

This time, Zoro rolled his eyes at his captain, making Luffy muffle a giggle. Except he really was curious. Why couldn't a ninja be a pirate? Or a pirate be a ninja? They were both cool and could kick ass. Besides, if a swordsman could be a pirate, why couldn't a ninja?

"Because, Luffy! Everyone knows that it's one or the other. You can't be both! That would be like...like cheating!"

"Awe...are you cheating on me, Zoro?"

He bit his lip the minute the words left. He never had been good at holding back his thoughts. Whatever came to mind usually came out. There wasn't much of a filter between his brain and his mouth. He had never seen much of a need to put one there.

Except...when...well...

Until now at least.

The humorous air had gone incredibly quiet. Even the jungle seemed to still. Or grow muffled. Like the birds and insects and animals in the direct vicinity could feel the tension as if it was a sixth sense.

Luffy found himself going incredible still, putting his hands over his mouth, and yet knowing that his eyes would always betray him. If only he had the hat...so he could hide behind the straw brim, cover his face in shadow, hide the anger and the hurt. He should be stronger than that; he was the captain of a pirate crew; he should be strong enough to control his emotions; this was ridiculous, shameful.

After all, it wasn't like Luffy had officially _told_ Zoro any of his feelings. There was no way the swordsman would know about Luffy's "claim," even though Ace had decided to ignore Luffy's earlier statements. Even though there wasn't much of claim to begin with... It wasn't like it was Zoro's fault the others were starting to make moves.

Right. He shouldn't be upset with Zoro. It was all Ace's fault anyway. Ace had been the one to act like Luffy's claim meant nothing; Ace had been the one to turn it into a game. Damn it all, Ace was probably the closest to winning Zoro's heart too!

And what could he do? What had he done? Whined about it, grumbled, complained, held back from being himself because he didn't want to upset Zoro - because most of the playful jabs were met with annoyance and complaints from Zoro. Like when Luffy slingshot-ed his way into Zoro's lap or accidentally knocked him over board because of a rebound he hadn't thought through.

Luffy had to admit; none of Zoro's actions showed like he liked Luffy as anything more than nakama. After all, Luffy probably only kept the swordsman because the green haired man was a stickler for keeping his promises, and Luffy had made him promise to join, join or die.

If Luffy ever gave Zoro the chance to leave, would the swordsman take it? Would Zoro leave him?

Fighting the tears in his eyes at the thought, Luffy lowered his head, dropped his arms, felt his black bangs bounced into the edges of his eyes. "Hey, Zoro, you know..." He took a breath. Forced the words out. Would Zoro leave if he called the promise fulfilled? "You know...you don't have to stay if you don't want to..."

Besides, the swordsman would probably jump at the chance to escape. He had never really wanted to come here in the first place. He had his own dream. Sure, Luffy had agreed that Zoro's dream would come first. But...

"What?" Leaves rustled. Probably Zoro moving. Probably leaving. Walking away.

Luffy kept his gaze on the dirt and sand, staring at the points where the beach met the jungle floor. The area was covered in leaves and branches, mostly where Zoro had been sleeping, but the beach began just a few jumps away. "I said..."

"I know what you said!" A hand smacked his head and he fell forward only to spring back up like a slinky, stretching his neck. Nami had done that to him once... "Idiot! Why would I leave? What the hell has been wrong with you lately? It's like Ace did something..."

Blinking, Luffy looked up, not bothering to wipe away the tears at the edges of his vision. "He did..." Luffy murmured, facing Zoro straight in the eyes.

After a moment, the swordsman crossed his arms and glanced away from the stare. "Baka..."

Silence stalked.

Luffy stared at Zoro, content yet again to stare at the green hair and just imagine. It was all he was allowed. To imagine. So, Zoro hadn't left. But that didn't mean anything. He shouldn't read into it. If he got too hopeful, he would be disappointed. And he was tired of being disappointed.

"Oi, Luffy..."

Zoro didn't turn to face him; he was talking but looking into the distance. Staring at the ocean. But Luffy watched the dark eyes, wondering if the phrase about "eyes being windows into one's soul" was true. Wondering if he could figure out what Zoro thought about him. If only he knew what Zoro thought of him, felt for him. Whatever. If only he could know.

"Remember how Ace wrote that letter?"

He watched the tan face turn pink, then red, then pink, as the swordsman fought to control his own reactions. Luffy felt himself go through a similar bout of control. But he was fighting to control anger, feeling crushed and upset that Ace had done such a thing, and that Zoro still had the letter. Why did Zoro still have the letter from Ace? How many times a day did he read it? Why did Ace have to be so far ahead of him when it came to life? Always so far ahead...

With a pout, Luffy glanced away, meeting a cool ocean breeze, which ruffled back his hair and clothes. He had forgotten about the fruit still sitting in his lap. He wasn't so eager to eat it anymore.

"Yeah," he mumbled.

Catching movement out of the corner of his eye, Luffy glanced up to see Zoro put a hand at the back of his neck. He watched the swordsman close his eyes and take a breath, finding his eyes drawn to the tight white shirt hiding the swordsman's muscular body. Luffy would probably never have muscles, even if his punch was just as strong as Zoro's sword swing. Because Luffy was rubber. Sometimes, he was rather envious of the swordsman, but most of the time he just wished Zoro could be his...

"I told you it didn't matter what he said. That I wasn't going to respond."

"Yeah..." Luffy had to fight the urge to clench his hands and teeth. A part of him wanted to know what was in the letter. He wanted to know what he was up against. He knew Ace was smart and tricky, and a pervert, but he felt like he was fighting a losing game. And he had no idea how to play by the rules. Where was the line that Ace had drawn? If he knew how far his brother would go...

Well, maybe Luffy would be able to push harder than he was right now. Or at least be able to open up.

After clearing his throat, Zoro continued. "Would you want to read it? See how ridiculous it is?"

Surprise. Shock. Happiness.

Luffy jumped up immediately, the fruit lying forgotten in the mix of dirt and sand. He clenched his hands into fists. Slapped his feet to the ground. Opened his mouth.

"Really?"

Zoro backed away from him. Dropping his arms to the side for a moment before taking in Luffy's excited appearance. Then he crossed the arms and grimaced, refusing to meet eyes. The face was turning red again, too.

"Y-Yeah..."

With a squeal of delight, Luffy pounced. He tackled the green haired swordsman, sending them both flying to the ground - with Luffy on top of course. On top and grinning, snuggling into the chest of his swordsman. His swordsman. He had to remind himself. Zoro wouldn't leave. Zoro wanted to be here. That had to mean good things, right? And he wanted to share something secret, too. Had to mean good things.

Loving the feel of being close to Zoro again. Nothing was awkward anymore. Not at this moment, at least. Not right now. No, for just a few moments, things were back to normal. For a few precious moments, there was no 'awkward.'

And Zoro laughed. "Now, _that's_ more like you."

And Luffy's next smile was the most genuinely _happy_ smile he had shown in the past days.

~!~

"...I have determined that the disease..."

A door closing blocked the rest of the sound from the doctor's voice. Sanji didn't care to hear more about the disease. Chopper would handle it. Chopper and Robin could figure out all the technicalities. If they needed food or strength, he would be called on. But right now...

He really wanted a cigarette.

So, making sure to look casual - in order to keep the locals from worrying needlessly - he pulled out a smoke and leaned back against the house wall, lighting up. It was time to cool and enjoy a moment. It was time to analyze the situation.

Chopper, Robin, Usopp, and Nami were inside the village leader's house, discussing the problems of the disease. How it came to the island. Why it spreads. What's the cure. Who was susceptible. And in Nami's case - how the village planned to pay them back for helping.

Sanji, on the other hand, had other things on his mind. A little more pressing. But no direction.

Where would Zoro and Luffy be at? He was sure they were safe. Even the marimo could manage to swim to shore, at least if one of his nakama was in danger, and especially if his captain was in trouble. But where would they be? How would they find them?

They were on the Grand Line. It wasn't like they could just easily back track and mount a search and rescue party. Ace had said that they were more than likely on the island, just at a different location. And that made sense. Depending on how the island was shaped at least.

But where? And how to search for them?

Were they just supposed to go trudging through the jungle looking for the two members with the worst direction sense in the world? Damn it, why was he so fucking worried? Those two could handle themselves. They were completely capable of surviving. Where they failed in direction sense and intelligence, they made up for in strength.

So he shouldn't be worried.

At least, he shouldn't be worried about their safety. No, it would make more sense to be worried about ever meeting up with them again. The fact that they had all met was luck anyway. Luck. Destiny. Whatever. The chances of them meeting again...

Sure, if they were on the same island, things would probably work out. But, what if they weren't? What if Zoro had never found the captain? What if Luffy had drowned in that storm? What if Zoro was lost at sea? What if they both were? What then?

Pulling the cigarette out of his mouth, he dropped it on the ground and crushed it beneath his boot. Thinking was making him too damn worried. He didn't need to panic over this separation. They had been separated before. Plenty of times, in fact. In battle.

But...they'd always had the assurance that they were at least on the same island.

He put a hand to his head, starting to run his fingers through the blond hair. A giggle and familiar bouncing hat in the corner of his vision caught his attention. He stood up immediately, feeling the hope and relief flood through his heart. That was Luffy's hat...and...Zoro's bandana...at least, it looked like it. They were in the distance, but...

Were they...kissing?

"That's just two kids playing. The girl has Luffy's hat - I've talked to them already."

Ace's voice made him jump a few feet in the air. Why had his guard been down? He shouldn't be so jumpy. And Ace was chuckling at him, too. With a growl, he turned to Luffy's brother - who was standing right beside him, looking so nonchalant and devoid of worry. Devoid of any emotion, really.

"Why does some girl have Luffy's hat?" He snapped, that being the first question he could easily put to words.

Ace shrugged. "Said she found it on the beach. I told her it was my brother's. She said she'd give it back, but I told her not to worry about it. At least not until we found him."

Grinding his teeth, more because he was still annoyed at having been caught off guard, Sanji snapped another question, pointing at the two kids now running around on the beach. "Then why the hell does the boy have a bandana that looks like Zoro's?"

Ace only shrugged again. "They're playing pirates and ninjas apparently."

To that, Sanji found he could only blink. "What?" When Ace didn't respond, he decided to throw more words to his question. "What does that have to do with looking like Zoro?"

As a response, Ace stretched his arms up and yawned. "Doesn't matter. If you don't understand the connection, then you won't even if I explain." To which Sanji wanted to snap at him some more. But Ace turned to stare at the island jungle in the distance. "If they don't come here tomorrow, I'm going to look for them."

When the Fire Devil Fruit User turned and walked away from him, Sanji felt his anger explode. Was he going to get nothing out of this character? What the hell went through this man's mind? He gave simple answers to questions that demanded more. And then random statements that didn't make any sense...

"What the hell?"

Ace stopped and glanced over his shoulder. "You can come, too, if you want. The more in the game, the more fun it becomes, after all."

Which, of course, was no kind of answer and left Sanji even more confused. Couldn't someone around here at least make sense?

~!~

_A/N: Yay! Done! Haha! Remember, review if you read. This chapter took a kind of humorous turn. I think it needed some humor, and I am in a happy mood because I am out of school for a week. Yeah._

_Kairi: Sanji, you've been living in this world for, what? 19 years? You should know by now that... Nothing. Makes. Sense...EVER._


	6. Chapter 6

**Author Notes:**

-Two years later...

-I apologize for the _terribly_ late update; the excuse includes re-formatting the computer and not having Word or any program that wanted to keep what I had previously written; then school came; then interest in writing sort of left me

-Life happened (And Hetalia)

-I said I would not abandon, and it is not abandoned; I am getting better at time-management so, depending on school, you can expect quicker updates

-Being away from One Piece for so long has me wondering if I'm still writing things correctly, and it also has me trying to pick up in the middle of a chapter and remember what I was doing; that, alone, is hard, and a good reason to never quit a project, let me be the first to tell you

-There is serious LuffyxZoro cuteness here, partly because I personally wanted some and partly because I couldn't resist the temptation once the idea hit me

-As far as for what's in the letter: I built it up _so_ terribly much and was actually debating whether or not to 'share' what Ace said. I gave in. I hope you're not disappointed.

-In this chapter, I also have a little taste of Usopp point-of-view. Mostly to get a quick overview / reminder of what's happened (at least insofar as our sharpshooter knows).

**Theme:** "the space between dream and reality"

**Pairings:** LuZo stuff ~ AceZo and SanZo are on their way. Trust me. Got it all planned out. :)

~!~

_Dream and Reality_

~!~

Usopp found himself hovering outside the local tavern. Not because he wanted to, but because he didn't know what he wanted to do. Chopper was handling the diagnosis of the disease, talking with the mayor of the village. Nami was with him, probably demanding some kind of reward for Chopper's genius, even if the little reindeer didn't want anything in return. But Nami was always willing to take the best of any situation and turn it to an advantage. Robin had left to visit the local library, small as it was, because she was interested in the history of the island. Something she normally did at an island visit, and something Usopp didn't really care to mimic.

But what did he want to do? Without Luffy, he found that he was at a loss. At least with the captain there to point the way, to act crazy, to play games. Luffy always made sure there was something to do, even if Usopp spent a lot of the time worrying whether or not Luffy would anger the island locals.

But Luffy wasn't here. He had been lost at sea. And so had Zoro. And who knew where those two were now?

With them gone, the crew was acting a little different, a little shaky, trying to handle it and yet they all seemed to have the fear that they were separated forever. Or at least, Usopp knew he had that fear. That scary "what if" idea.

He was pretty sure Sanji had a similar fear - or worry at the very least. Because Sanji wasn't flirting with anyone; he was brooding. Usopp had been surprised when Sanji left them to stand outside. The fact that Ace wasn't lifting a finger to help - that was almost natural. Even if Usopp didn't know Ace all that well, it felt right to have Ace wandering around the village while the Strawhat crew tried to figure out what to do next. But Sanji stepping out? Instead of finding a girl to flirt with? Or at least making something for Nami and Robin while they talked to the mayor...

Things were out of wack. Out of the norm. And Usopp wasn't liking it. At all.

~!~

"You really want me to read it out loud?"

Luffy giggled at Zoro's question, leaning his head back against the swordsman's chest, glancing up through his bangs of black hair. "Yeah, why not? I can read but not that well, you know."

Shortly after asking to read "the letter," Luffy had found himself sitting in Zoro's lap, a position that was oddly familiar even though it was never something that Zoro initiated. It was a position that he was currently enjoying quite a lot. Warmth filled his heart and his body as he had to fight the urge to cuddle his swordsman. Putting a hand on either of Zoro's legs, he grinned wide and waited for Zoro to give in and share.

Zoro sighed. "Really?"

Luffy pouted his lips out and crossed his arms, slouching down in Zoro's lap. There was something poking him in his leg, but he ignored it. "Yes, really. C'mon, Zoro, just read it!"

There was a single moment of hesitation. A single solitary quiet moment in which the only sound was the waves from the ocean and the birds fluttering above them. The sound of crinkling paper soon joined the symphony of outside sounds, being joined by Zoro's cough as the green-haired swordsman cleared his throat.

Luffy grinned as he stared at the letter in front of him. It was soaked and smudged, and it looked like some words may have been ruined. He blinked. Would Ace's letter still be readable?

"_To the great green-haired swordsman-_" Zoro paused. "I like that part. It's normal. And sensible."

Luffy giggled. His brother? Normal and sensible? Yeah, right.

With another sigh, Zoro continued. "_I have often looked at you from afar. There have been many things I have wanted to ask __you, curious swordsman of my brother's crew. Sadly, I am unable to ask the most important question to your face. What I really want to know is-"_

When Zoro stopped reading – and at the good part too – Luffy frowned and tilted his neck up to look at the furrowed green brows. "What's wrong?"

"I can't make it out anymore. I remember it being something really perverted but my swim in the ocean..." he paused to meet Luffy's eyes – to which the Strawhat Captain just smiled and shrugged. "My swim in the ocean made the letter get ruined."

This was not fun at all. The best part, ruined? No fair!

"Aw, Zoro, can you remember any of it?"

Groaning, the green haired swordsman hung his head, resting his forehead against Luffy's shoulders. This gesture made the Strawhat Captain grow warm in the face. Was he blushing? He didn't blush; he didn't get embarrassed. No, he was probably just excited at having Zoro leaning on him.

With a sigh, the swordsman continued, "Well, it had something to do with sex, but he didn't actually come out and say it – and I can't remember exactly what he said."

Luffy gaped. _So he's really going that far?_

This would not do. This would not do at all. But if his brother was willing to go that far, then that meant that Luffy could push things _much_ harder than he was currently. It meant Luffy could act like himself. Heck, it meant Luffy could do things he had been afraid to do.

Screw the rules. He was happy now.

Spinning around in Zoro's lap, Luffy looked up at his swordsman, eyeing the blush, slapping the letter out of his hand. "Luffy? What the hell?"

Shaking his head, Luffy put a hand to his lips and made a gesture to be quiet. "My question first." Zoro rolled his eyes in response but nodded. "What's your answer?"

With a blink, Zoro tilted his head. "Huh? My answer? To what?"

"To the letter!" Luffy exclaimed, as if it were obvious. "To whatever-it-was that Ace wanted to do!"

He glared at the blush. Mention Ace and the letter and Zoro blushed. Would he do that forever now? "Oh, th-that?" Sitting back, Zoro shook his head. "I'm not going to have anything to do with him."

"Yay!" Luffy exclaimed, feeling his heart burst with excitement.

So his brother wasn't someone to be scared of after all. Zoro didn't like his brother. Of course he didn't. It had been silly to assume otherwise. Zoro just wasn't used to someone being so straight forward about sex. Yeah. He definitely wouldn't like Ace, then.

Leaning forward, Luffy embraced Zoro in a hug, making them both fall backwards to the forest soil beneath them. Zoro laughed. "Okay? Why is that a 'yay'?"

"Well...because..." Licking his lips, Luffy stared at the green haired swordsman. He gulped.

What were the rules again? What was he supposed to do and not do? Did it really matter? No, of course it mattered. He had to follow the rules. This was important. He couldn't cheat. He had to do things the right way.

The right way...

What was the right way? Wasn't the right way to follow your heart? Weren't you supposed to tell people the truth and show them what they meant to you? Weren't you supposed to give them gifts and hugs and special things? Weren't you supposed to enjoy little moments?

...Was this one of those little moments?

Yeah. Yeah, it definitely had to be one. They were sharing a special moment. The two of them together. Alone. Trapped on an island away from the crew. No crew. No ship. No hat. And yet... and yet...

It was just him...and Zoro.

So, Luffy leaned down and planted a kiss on Zoro's lips. Because he didn't care about any rules. If Ace was going to ask something straight up, then who cared? Besides, it wasn't like anyone would know. He was alone with Zoro!

He kept it simple though. A peck. He didn't want to push his luck. A quick light touch, wanting more but being good, being slow, being nice, trying to think of Zoro's feelings and not just his own.

To his surprise, Zoro only stared up at him, his face confused, his eyes blinking. Luffy laughed, putting a hand to his black hair and crawling off of Zoro so the green haired swordsman could stand up. Quietly. As the swordsman got his feet, he reminded Luffy of a stone, having gone incredibly stiff and serious all of a sudden.

Gathering his swords together, Zoro seemed to be looking anywhere but at his captain, as if he was embarrassed. Luffy had to force himself not to giggle. Zoro was embarrassed. Ah, he was loving this little moment.

After a few moments of taking time to double check the area, the green-haired swordsman cleared his throat and spoke, but it wasn't at all related to the letter or the kiss. "We should start walking toward the center of the island. Maybe the others will meet us there."

Luffy nodded. Yeah that made sense. Did it? Of course it made sense! Important things were always in the center. All kinds of candy put the best parts in the center, after all. Except, this was Zoro making an assumption about a direction to walk. Luffy knew he had bad direction sense; he knew that Zoro's direction sense was the worst among all the StrawHat crew members. So, should he really follow Zoro's advice?

With a laugh and a shrug, Luffy put his hands behind his head and decided that, yes, yes he would. If he wanted to win Zoro's heart, he would have to trust him. People liked to be trusted, after all.

"Okay," he said. "Will it be like an adventure?"

Slapping a palm to his face, Zoro sighed. "Yeah. Yeah, this is one big adventure. Isn't that what we always do?" Swords in place, the green-haired man started walking, picking what seemed like a random direction.

Luffy shrugged and followed, walking beside his swordsman, sandals slapping the ground beneath them. "Yup, you're right! Pirates are all about cool adventures!"

"Haha, yeah," Zoro responded, a little strangely out of character, and sounding like his thoughts were elsewhere.

Luffy stared at him for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. People drifted off sometimes. He was sure it was nothing big. If it was important, his swordsman would share-

"Hey, Luffy?"

Maybe it was something important! Trying not to panic, Luffy tilted his head and stuck a finger in his ear, digging around and pulling out a wad of earwax. Acting bored. Acting like he wasn't worried. That was the important thing: don't seem worried. "Yeah?"

"...You know I'm not gay, right?"

Words could not explain the feeling that his heart, like a spear in the chest, like a bug in his mouth, like jello in his shoes, like ice on his stomach...

He had to fight the tears in his eyes. He had to keep his breath from stopping. He had to keep his mind from freezing up. He had to face it. Face it and accept it.

...Accept that it was all for nothing?

~!~

Sanji paced around the village well. He would not admit he was restless. He would not admit that he was worried. He would not admit that what his mind was _really_ thinking of – or who. No. No way. He was _not_ thinking about that stuipd marimo! He was worried about Luffy. He was worried about their captain. And that was it!

Wasn't it? With a sigh, he stopped in place, tossing his finished cigarette and stomping on it to put it out.

Damn.

He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out another one, lighting it up and sticking it in his mouth. "Isn't that your sixth one?"

He turned to glare at the man behind the voice. Ace was sitting _on_ the well. Crouched down, feet on the stone blocks, looking out at him as he paced. The Fire Devil Fruit User was too damn carefree for this situation. It really pissed him off.

"What does it matter?"

Ace shrugged. "Just that it's kind of obvious you're going stir crazy."

Sanji raised an eyebrow. "Stir crazy?"

Ace nodded. "Yeah. You know, you can't stay sitting here doing nothing. You want to go out and find them yourself."

Sanji crossed his arms. "What if I do?"

To his surprise, Ace tilted his head and grinned. "Then we should go together!" He jumped off the well and started walking, but he wasn't walking back toward the village or toward Sanji. No, he was walking toward the forest.

"Hey, wait a minute!" When his captain's brother turned around, Sanji found himself unsure of what to say. "Why?"

Ace frowned. "Oh come on. That's too easy." Hands went to his hips and he stared back at Sanji, as if trying to understand what the blond haired cook was thinking.

Heck, Sanji was trying to understand this crazy brother of Luffy's. He should have given up long ago. It was about as difficult as trying to understand his own captain. "Okay then, different question. What's the plan?"

With a laugh, Ace turned back around and stopped walking, apparently assuming that Sanji would just follow. "Who needs a plan? Just pick a direction and walk and see where fate takes you!"

Blinking, Sanji found himself staring wide eyed at the Fire Devil Fruit User. That had sounded something eerily familiar to something Luffy, or even Zoro, would say. Those two members of the Strawhat crew had the same outlook on life: pick a direction and go for it. Or, better translated. Pick a goal and never give up.

Clenching his hands, Sanji stared after Ace for a little while longer, eyes twitching, before he threw his hands up and gave in. "If we get lost, I blame you."

Ace just laughed as Sanji came up to walk beside him. "Okay. I can take the blame for that."

For some reason, Sanji had the feeling that this was a terrible idea. A terribly stupid idea. Stupid stupid stupid. Why was he going off into the forest with Ace? Why was he going off and searching for Zoro and Luffy without telling the others? There was no plan. There was no back up. He groaned as Ace started whistling.

This was such a bad idea.

~!~

_A/N: Hi, me again. I bet that was terrible. A year and a half since I wrote this. So sorry. But, hey, it updated! Does that mean anything? ...Probably not. Ah well. ;)_

_What is the correlation between dream and reality? Luffy's dream: Zoro loves him~ Reality: Zoro says "dude i'm not into guys" And all the fangirls say: "lol yea right"_

_~~Thank you for all reviews/alerts/favorites; they did help motivate me to get off my ass and write! I just wrote in such tiny increments it took too long to come out with a chapter. But it's summer now – and I'm on a roll! Anyway, thank you!~~_

_~Reda_


	7. Chapter 7

**Author Notes****:**

- Hi, I'm not dead. I mean, I'm Hetalia-addicted, but I did say I wouldn't abandon this, didn't I? Still, Hetalia-addicted, so updates here /will/ be harder to come by. Especially cause my PruCan Hetalia stuff is mostly done by role-play so I don't have to think near as hard. Ah hah. Anyway, the important thing is here you go, another chapter, wee~

- Also, I have weird ideas of monsters/creatures/etc. I blame my addictions to RPGs, especially Final Fantasy. Final Fantasy ruined any semblance of "normal" monsters my mind could have construed. Then again, One Piece isn't exactly known for its normal-looking creatures, is it? Guess it's not too weird, after all.

~!~

_Superstar_

~!~

Ace whistled as he walked, hands in the pockets of his shorts, taking a hand out only occasionally to tilt his hat back and look around at where he had wandered to this time. The forest was pretty confusing. Everything looked the same after a while, and he wasn't even sure where he had come from at this point. Not that any of it mattered. He would find his way out eventually, and somewhere along the way he might find his brother and Zoro.

He could hope, at least. He really wanted to see the green haired swordsman again. He wanted to make that face blush. He wanted to toy with him and make him stutter. Luffy's first mate was too much fun. Innocent, too, if his reactions were anything to go by. Which made it all the more fun.

Of course, he had to find Zoro first, and then he had to win his heart. The letter was hilarious, but he didn't have much faith in it in the end. Zoro seemed to have a loyalty to Luffy, a strange loyalty, a different kind of connection. It was going to be hard to break through that one. Incredibly hard.

But fun all the same.

"Do you even know how to get back?"

And then there was Sanji, the blond-haired cook of his brother's crew. He grinned just at the thought. Whether or not the cook would admit it out loud, there was a third competitor for Zoro's heart in this game. The somewhat annoying cook had been following Ace everywhere since he'd split off from the group. There could be several reasons for that, but when Sanji kept asking about Luffy and Zoro it made things even more obvious.

The competition just added to the fun, though. Ace was pretty sure whatever the result ended up being, this was going to be one hell of a ride. One hell of a game. And one hell of a good time.

"No, but it doesn't matter," he answered.

The cook spluttered, stomping up beside him. "How are we supposed to get back to the rest of the crew?"

Ace shrugged, continuing to walk, noting the strange vegetation of the area. Jungle. Forest. Whatever this was. Islands were strange. A desert island. A snowy island. This one had strange indigenous growth – which he was avoiding, of course. He didn't want to go and step in something that would cause problems. He almost had to wonder what other forms of life existed here. Were there creatures that they would have to fight off? Would there be an actual adventure involved or would they just keep walking until the end of time?

He was hoping for adventure.

"Would you at least try to have some _sense_ about this?" Sanji snapped beside him, still walking with him even as he complained. "Even if we find them now, how are we supposed to get back?"

Ace shrugged, for what felt like the thousandth time. Sanji was always asking questions, always the first to distrust him, always quick to get mad at his spontaneity. "It'll work itself out," he answered, stopping suddenly, hearing voices.

"What do you mean 'it'll work itself out'? Reality doesn't work like that!" The cook exclaimed. "And why did you stop?"

Laughing a bit, he held up a hand, waving it in the air. "I hear something, that's why."

Pushing his hat up, Ace glanced around the area. Tree. Tree. Tree. And that was a snake. Weird flowers. Prickly bushes. A pathway. Another pathway in the other direction. Crossing paths. Interesting. Birds were chirping. Insects were buzzing. Tree branches were shaking.

The area was muggy. Like a rainforest. Cool down here. The sun hardly reaching them at all. If he actually cared, he might have tried to get a jacket, but he could heat himself up without issue if he wanted to, so he wasn't exactly worried about the cold.

"Hear what?" Sanji questioned, his voice seeming incredibly loud because he was standing right next to him.

Ace cursed. "Shut up and you might hear it, too." It really was starting to get annoying. The cook was always bugging him about something-or-other and it was making it difficult to actually focus when he wanted to.

There. A voice. Again. Followed by another one. Still, pin-pointing the direction was difficult. It was like a little murmur against the backdrop of a very active rainforest. Animal life everywhere was getting in the way of finding the voices.

"Is that the wind?"

...or it could be that...

Cursing again, Ace chose a path and started walking. Thankfully, this time, Sanji was silent. Maybe he trusted in him to pick the right way. Maybe he thought this _was_ the right way. Whatever the case, Ace was simply glad for a little silence as he tried to follow the voices.

Because it _had_ to be voices. Damn it all, it couldn't be the wind, could it? That would be too unlucky. He wasn't used to being unlucky.

To his delight, as he walked, the sound of voices got louder. Two of them. And they sounded familiar. Familiar to the point where Sanji stopped walking altogether. "Is that Zoro?"

Ace grinned, chuckling to himself. Clue number one. The cook didn't say a word about Luffy's obvious higher-pitched excited voice. No, Sanji noticed Zoro's murmur. Clue number fucking one.

Oh, yes, this would be quite a _lot_ of fun.

~!~

Little did Ace know, Luffy and Zoro weren't just talking to each other. They were _fighting_. No, they weren't fight each other. They were fighting one of the crazy creatures of this island jungle. Nothing was allowed to be normal, after all. Not on the Grand Line. Especially not out here.

The monster they were currently up against was a giant flower. A giant tulip, with long green vines for arms – several of them in fact, all flying through the air. It walked or crawled or whatever it was doing on the roots, having been disturbed from its sleep or nap or whatever. It had popped up, attacking, the bell of its large tulip...body...growing in size until it was nothing more than a gigantic flower monster.

At first, Luffy thought it was cool. Taking something girly like a flower and making it into a bad ass looking monster. Then one of its vines scraped against his arm, leaving a long scratch. That made him mad. That wasn't a very nice way to say hello, after all. Stupid gigantic flower monster. Not cool.

Zoro jumped to the attack pretty quickly, pulling his swords out, taking a stance, even as he said something about how ridiculous it was to be fighting a flower of all things. Luffy would have been fighting, too, but he was starting to feel funny. Dizzy. Out of it.

Zoro must have noticed, because he kept talking to him. He would jump in to attack and then move over to stand next to him, asking what the problem was. Honestly, Luffy wanted to fight, too. He wanted to punch the shit out of that stupid monster for cutting him up, but he couldn't seem to move.

First, his vision went fuzzy. Then, his hearing went out. Then...well...there wasn't much else he could remember after that...

~!~

Following the voices, Ace and Sanji arrived on the scene just in time to see Zoro fall to one knee in front of a giant flower. Really. Ace blinked. Actually, the both of them froze, but Ace couldn't help but stare at the strange circumstance. He was used to seeing strange things; after all, he had been on the Grand Line longer than any of them, but what he was not so used to was seeing the green-haired swordsman growing weak against an indigenous wildlife creature.

"Stupid marimo, what are you doing?" Sanji snapped, breaking out of his confusion first.

Zoro glanced over to them, gritting his teeth around the sword in his mouth. His eyes flicked behind him, then, glancing over his shoulder, and when Ace looked in that direction he saw his brother. Luffy. Sleeping? While a fight was going on?

"Something's off."

Zoro popped the sword out of his mouth just as Sanji spun to face him and snap, "What do you mean 'something's off?' Of course something's off! It's a fucking flower! And Luffy is -"

But Ace was ignoring Sanji. He was focusing on Zoro. On the way the man seemed to be breathing heavy, the way that chest heaved as if gasping for air. The way sweat rolled down his face. The way his eyes were blinking, squinting, like he was trying not to fall asleep. Then he noticed the several cuts all over Zoro's body, from the vines of the gigantic flower thing. Yeah. Something wasn't just off, it was wrong. It was serious.

With a grunt, Zoro managed to speak. "Don't let it hit you, or – you'll -"

Hearing the pants, Ace began to feel a warmth spread through his body. He couldn't take it. Not for much longer. Luffy was asleep anyway. He wouldn't care. He wouldn't even have to know. First of all, though, he had to destroy the creature before Sanji jumped in there like an idiot. Holding a hand up, pointing it toward the giant flower monster, Ace called on his fire power and let it shoot out, ripping down his arm. With a quick motion, he shot the fire toward the creature, but he barely watched as it crumpled and shriveled and burned its way to death.

No, instead, he sprang over to Zoro's side where the green-haired swordsman was on his hands, the swords no longer gripped between his fingers, panting for air and looking. For all the wrong reasons, of course, but it still... "Fancy seeing you here," Ace murmured.

It got Zoro to lift his head, and then Ace leaned in, leaned in enough to press their lips together, to catch that panting mouth open and waiting. So perfect. He couldn't help himself. It was just such a great opportunity. Zoro's breath hitched and he actually fell into it for a second. One beautiful blissful second. But then of course the swordsman pulled back, his eyes caught in a haze of trying to glare or maybe he was just stuck in shock. Something. Whatever it was, it made those green eyes look incredibly tasty, especially with everything else going for the man right now.

Ace licked his lips...and then felt a pain in his side as he went flying through the air, hit the ground, and slid along the dirt for a good couple meters. Of course, he shot to his feet as fast as he could, calling on his fire again, ready to attack whatever...

"Sanji?"

The cook was glaring at him. Zoro had passed out at some point, now lying on the ground instead of sitting on his hands and knees, but the blond-haired crew member was standing over the unconscious swordsman, a cigarette in hand, puffing out smoke as he all but seethed his pissed off aura toward Ace.

"Back the fuck off. Seriously. This whole game is getting sick and ridiculous now."

Ace blinked. Of all the times...well, if the cook wanted to play, too, then so be it. He had suspected and had really _know_ that Sanji would join their little game eventually, even if he was still refusing to admit as such. Brushing himself off, Ace tilted his hat up – amazing how that thing managed to stay on his head – and smirked.

"Well, if you wanted in on it, you should have just said so," he said, making his way over to his unconscious brother. Even if this game was all focused on Zoro, he still wanted to make sure his brother wasn't poisoned or anything. "I mean, honestly, it's been pretty obvious that you wanted to join our game for a while now."

Sanji just seethed some more, nearly spitting at him. "It's _not_ a game!"

Stopping by Luffy's side, Ace tilted his face up and grinned. "Sure, sure, it's not a game. It's a competition, though. I wonder who's winning?" He paused then, kneeling down by his brother in order to pick up the smaller kid. "You have a lot to catch up on, you know. What with your obvious denial and pretend hatred toward him."

For a moment, Sanji looked like he was about to snap something back, but then those eyes – or at least, that eye that wasn't covered up by his haircut – softened and turned from glaring at Ace to staring down at the unconscious green-haired swordsman. "Hate is a strong word..."

~!~

While Ace picked up Luffy and set the captain of the Strawhats on his back, easily able to do so because Luffy weighed next to nothing, which must have been a nice trait that came with being made of rubber...Sanji instead found himself staring down at the green haired marimo idiot. The stupid, stupid idiot who had gone and gotten himself cut up by poisonous vines. Or at least something strong enough to knock out the two strongest members of their crew.

Once again, he was left to wonder why he cared. Especially when Ace started talking about this _game_ or _competition_ or _whatever_ he wanted to call it. This absurd fight over Zoro's heart, as if the marimo was someone to covet. Who the hell wanted to fall in love with this idiot?

Who the hell would think the loyalty of the green-haired dumbass was something to admire? Who the hell would stare at the marimo idiot whenever he came back from a battle all torn to shreds, and worry? Who the hell would _worry_ for his sorry ass? What was _wrong_ with him? Even now, Zoro was obviously going to be fine, because Zoro was always fine. He wasn't even bleeding out like he normally was; it was just some kind of toxin that caused the two strongest members to...

He was worried. He was fucking terrified. He was...That was just because they were on the same crew, right? Sure, hate was a strong word. He didn't hate the guy. No, he _couldn't_ hate the marimo idiot. There was too much between them, even now, especially now.

"Shit," he said, not knowing what else to say, not knowing what else to think, as his heart started to beat erratically and he found himself frozen to his spot, his eyes trapped staring down at the damnable idiot...

"Are you going to just stand there all day, or are you going to pick him up and find the way back?" Ace's voice cut through him like a knife. Ace. Fire-fist _asshole_ who had just _kissed_ Zoro when the marimo couldn't even defend himself.

His eyes radiated a new hate when he turned his glare to Ace. Jealousy spawned in his stomach and he puffed on the cigarette, pulled it out, blew some smoke into the air, before setting it back in his mouth. Jealousy? What the fuck was wrong with him? Admitting it felt strange, too. He was jealous. He was pissed off at Ace not because of what the guy said, but because of what he _did_, because of the _kiss_.

Jealous of a kiss!

There was definitely something wrong with him, but at this point, he didn't even care. At this point, he was going to accept it. Feelings were something one couldn't control, after all. And this blasted game fighting for Zoro's heart. Sure, he'd join it...if only to keep Ace away from Zoro, if only to keep Luffy away...

Even Luffy? He was annoyed at _Luffy_? For having feelings too?

"This is so fucked up," he grumbled.

Ace grinned at him and then reached out to pat him on the back. "Glad to have you on board. It's always more interesting with more people." But before Sanji could smack Fire-Fist Ace, the man frowned. "Seriously, though, we need to get back. There's no telling what's running through their veins right now, but if I could guess..."

"It's not good," Sanji finished, putting aside his anger, his _jealousy_, in order to bend down, scramble to get the unconscious heavy set man on his back, and then take a deep breath and start making their way out of the forest, jungle, whatever-the-hell this place was... "Let me lead this time. You're as bad with direction as the marimo."

Even when he turned his back on the annoying devil fruit user, he could still see that same wide grin. And he could still feel his heart beating erratically...And for some reason, it felt incredibly...awkward to have Zoro's face pressing against his shoulder. Even if the man was unconscious.

~!~

_A/N: Whew! Well, I did it. See? See, see, see, it's still alive! Little by little by little ~ I promise. I just can't promise it quick. _


End file.
